Darrell Issa U.S. House of Representatives from California | Official U.S. House Headshot
Darrell Issa U.S. House of Representatives from California | Official U.S. House Headshot
The House of Representatives has passed legislation to address the backlog in federal courts, with a vote of 236-173. The bill, authored by Congressman Darrell Issa from California's 48th district, aims to add more federal judgeships. Notably, 29 Democrats joined Republicans in supporting the measure.
Congressman Issa emphasized the bipartisan nature of the bill, known as the JUDGES Act. He stated that it represents "the diligent work and hard-won agreement of national stakeholders that ultimately earned the support of a unanimous Senate and a strong bipartisan majority in the House." Issa urged President Biden to prioritize national interest over party lines and enact this consensus-driven legislation.
The JUDGES Act proposes several key changes:
- It plans to create 63 permanent judgeships over six phases from 2025 to 2035.
- It includes provisions for three temporary district court judgeships in Oklahoma.
- The Government Accountability Office (GAO) will be tasked with evaluating federal courts' efficiency and assessing detention space needs.
- The Judicial Conference will be required to publicly release its judicial seat recommendations and methodology.
- Additional locations for holding court will be authorized in Utah, Texas, and California to improve access for rural areas.
The full text of the bill is available online for public review.
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