President Joe Biden vetoed legislation on Monday that aimed to add 66 new judges to understaffed federal courts across the country. The JUDGES Act, supported by both parties initially, would have increased the number of trial court judges in 25 federal district courts in 13 states over six waves until 2035. However, Biden vetoed the bill, stating that more studies were needed to determine the need for these additional judgeships.
The bill received unanimous approval in the Democratic-led Senate in August but faced delays in the Republican-led House. It was only taken up for a vote after Donald Trump’s election win, raising concerns about which party would appoint the initial wave of judges. This led to accusations of broken promises and ultimately caused the bill to lose support among top House Democrats.
Despite the bipartisan support and arguments that federal caseloads have increased significantly since the last expansion of the judiciary in 1990, Biden decided to veto the bill, citing the need for further study on the allocation of judgeships. He also suggested that some senators were more concerned about holding open vacancies rather than addressing excessive caseloads.
Overall, the vetoed legislation would have been the first major expansion of the federal judiciary in decades, but it faced political challenges and concerns over the allocation of judgeships among lawmakers from both parties.
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