US Senate Passes Bipartisan Bill to Create 63 New Federal Judgeships

By Crystal Hill

The United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. Credit: Adobe Stock.

Today, the Senate advanced a bipartisan bill that would create dozens of new district court judgeships in the country. 

Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat and co-sponsor of the Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved (JUDGES) Act, said on X the legislation cleared the Senate in a unanimous vote.

“Delaware has some of America’s most overworked federal judges,” he wrote, “and for nearly 14 years, I’ve been trying to get them help. Today, we’re a step closer to that goal …” The bill was co-sponsored by Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.).  

The JUDGES bill, which would authorize 63 new permanent district court judgeships and three new temporary district court judgeships, passed the Senate Judiciary Committee in June. Now, it goes to the House.

Read more about the legislation here.

Last update, June 14

U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are supporting a new bill that would create dozens of new district court judgeships in the country.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday unanimously advanced the Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved (JUDGES) Act, which would authorize 63 new permanent district court judgeships and three new temporary district court judgeships. The bill now goes to the full Senate.

Sponsored by both Republicans and Democrats, the bill aims to lessen the load for district courts “as dockets become overburdened,” says a news release from committee chair Sen. Dick Durbin. The Illinois Democrat says Congress hasn’t created a new federal judgeship since 2003, noting that the Judicial Conference of the United States, which serves as the policymaking body for the federal courts, recommended that Congress create 66 new district court judges.

The Judicial Conference last year recommended that Congress create two permanent appeals court judgeships and 66 permanent district court judgeships. The last time Congress passed a comprehensive judgeship bill was 1990.

After the bill cleared the committee, ranking member Sen. Lindsay Graham, a South Carolina Republican, told Bloomberg Law that he’s “never seen the committee work together more collaboratively.”