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New Bill Seeks to Establish 66 Federal Judgeships to Address Judicial Backlog
March 6, 2025, 1:56 pm CST
The House Judiciary Committee has advanced a measure to create additional federal judgeships. (Image from Shutterstock)
In a significant move to tackle ongoing judicial delays, the House Judiciary Committee has approved a bill aimed at establishing 66 new federal judgeships. This legislative effort, referred to as the Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved Act or the JUDGES Act, passed by a narrow margin of 16 to 11, predominantly along party lines.
The proposed legislation outlines a phased approach to adding the judges over a span of more than ten years, with the first set of appointments designated for President Donald Trump.
Among the few bipartisan supporters of the bill was Democratic U.S. Representative Lou Correa from California, who emphasized the necessity for additional judges in the state, with 21 of the newly proposed positions earmarked for California alone.
This recent proposal comes after a similar initiative was vetoed last year by former President Joe Biden. That bill faced challenges as it did not gain sufficient support from Republicans in the House until after Trump’s electoral victory.
Republican U.S. Representative Darrell Issa, the bill’s chief sponsor, highlighted the urgent need for reform, citing a “staggering” backlog of cases in federal courts as a driving factor behind this legislation.
As the issue of judicial staffing continues to evolve, stakeholders will be keenly observing the bill’s fate as it moves forward in Congress.
