Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved Act of 2024

Floor Speech

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Mr. CLINE. Mr. Speaker, I hope we are not getting a taste of what is to come. The American people are watching. They have identified correctly that Washington is broken. There are a lot of problems that have arisen over the last 4 years because of the mismanagement from this White House and from the Democratic leadership of this House.

They wanted a President and a Congress, a House and a Senate, who are going to fix the problems facing this country.

Let me tell you, with the JUDGES Act, we are fixing a problem and we are seeing Democrats, once again, throwing a temper tantrum because they can't get their way. If this is what is to come over the next 4 years, get ready because it is going to be temper tantrum after temper tantrum by the Democrats because they are not getting their way.

They deserve the time-out that they are getting over the next 2 years. The American people have given Democrats a time-out for a reason.

This legislation responds to the findings of a nonpartisan policymaking body, the Judicial Conference of the United States, by creating the recommended judgeships during future Presidential administrations, addressing a long overdue critical issue facing our Federal judiciary and offering a meaningful solution.

It includes important updates to the structure and timing of new judgeships and introduces enhanced transparency requirements and provisions to ensure greater access to justice in high-need areas nationwide.

As of March 31, 2023, Federal district courts were facing a backlog of 686,000 pending cases, over half a million pending cases. That is an average of 491 filings per judgeship over a single year.

These represent delayed justice for countless individuals and businesses seeking resolution to their legal disputes. That is why the Judicial Conference recommended these 66 new district court judgeships. That is why the Senate passed it unanimously.

While some targeted legislation added 34 district court judgeships between 1999 and 2003, it has been 20 years since Congress last acted to address this issue comprehensively, and the Democrats are now arguing that we should wait another 4 years.

No. No. The Democrats can sit in their time-out; Republicans are going to lead. We deserve to have this legislation acted on so that the American peoples' wishes to have the problems identified and solved are implemented.

Given the severity of this issue, I can't believe that President Biden opposes this important bill. I hope he will reconsider. This act allows Congress the opportunity to modernize and strengthen our judiciary to ensure that justice is not delayed, but delivered.

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