Young sponsors bipartisan bill to address shortage of district court judges

With federal courts across the country experiencing case backlogs due to a lack of federal judges, U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) on July 29 sponsored bipartisan legislation that would authorize additional district judges for district courts and convert temporary judgeships. 

“My bipartisan bill will help ensure all Americans can receive a timely day in federal court in the overworked regions of the country,” said Sen. Young, who on July 29 sponsored the Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved (JUDGES) Act, S. 2535, with original cosponsor U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE).

If enacted, S. 2535 also would stipulate that the Judicial Conference of the United States, a nonpartisan policy-making body for federal courts, in March requested the creation of 77 new district judges in its 2021 report and has named 37 vacancies as judicial emergencies, according to the text of the bill.

“The current judicial emergency is hindering Hoosiers’ opportunity to have their day in court due to an overload of cases and a shortage of judges,” Sen. Young said. “This is a serious problem that has only escalated throughout the pandemic.”

Gabe Roth, executive director of Fix the Court, called the bill “a solution that will dramatically improve access to the courtroom and help to address judicial emergencies across the country.”

The measure has been referred for consideration to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.