The House on Thursday passed a once-bipartisan bill authorizing the appointment of 63 new permanent district judges over the next 10 years, including 22 president-elect trump He can take office during his next term.
The White House issued a statement earlier this week saying it would veto the bill if President Biden introduced it.
In August, the Senate passed the Judicial Understaffing and Delay Emergency Solutions Act, or the Judges Act of 2024, which delayed 63 trials. new permanent judge The president may choose in the next 10 years. Citing the high caseload of courts, the bill states that the president will appoint 11 of the permanent judges in 2025 and 11 more in 2027. The president plans to appoint 10 more judges in 2029, 11 in 2031, 10 in 2033, and 10 more in 2033. The bill says 2035.
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But now, after Trump's victory, key Democratic lawmakers are backing away from the bill and are criticizing why it was not voted on until after Election Day.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) released a statement after the passage of the Judges Act. (Getty Images)
“Today, the House of Representatives passed the Judiciary Act to authorize additional federal judges to ensure Americans receive timely and fair trials,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said in a statement. . “This important legislation garnered broad bipartisan support when it passed the Senate unanimously in August. Because it directly addresses the pressing need to strengthen.”
“At the time, Democrats supported this bill and thought Kamala Harris would be elected president,” he added. “But now, the Biden-Harris administration has chosen to threaten a veto, and Democrats are opposing this bill solely out of partisan politics, blocking progress. This should not be a political issue. It should be a political issue,” prioritizing the needs of the American people and ensuring that the courts deliver fair, impartial, and timely justice. ”
The proposal passed the House on Thursday by a vote of 236 to 173, with 29 Democrats voting in favor.
The White House issued a statement earlier this week saying it would veto the bill if President Biden introduced it. (Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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The bill's Democratic co-sponsor, Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., said in a floor speech before Thursday's vote that he now opposes the bill.
“You can't pick a horse after that horse has already won the race, but that's exactly what my Republican colleagues are trying to do today,” he said.
The White House said Tuesday that while “judicial staffing is critical to the rule of law,” the Judges Act is “unnecessary to the efficient and effective administration of justice.”
“This bill would create new judicial positions in states where senators are seeking to fill existing judicial vacancies,” the statement said. “These efforts to fill vacancies suggest that concerns about judicial economics and caseloads are not the real driving force behind the passage of this bill at this time.Furthermore, neither the House nor the Senate have appointed senior judges or We haven't given enough thought to how the duties of magistrates will affect magistrates. We need new judges.”
“Furthermore, the Senate passed the bill in August, but the House refused to consider it until after the election, despite rushing to add more justices with only weeks left in the 118th Congress. , it will not be able to resolve key issues in the bill, particularly about how the “judges are assigned,'' the White House added.
Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) co-sponsored the bill in the Senate. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware and Sen. Todd Young of Indiana co-sponsored the bill in the Senate.
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“In a bipartisan vote, the House of Representatives just passed the Judges Act to address the shortage of federal judges and the severe delays Americans are experiencing. We urge them to do the right thing and sign the law into law,” Young wrote. Thursday of X. “This bill is widely supported by major legal organizations and advocates across our country.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for the latest information.
