Federal Judiciary Stabilization Act of 2024

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 3998, the Federal Judiciary Stabilization Act of 2024, a bill to convert 10 temporary Federal judgeships to permanent seats.

Our country is facing a serious judicial shortage and has for some time. The last bill creating Federal district court judgeships was passed into law over 30 years ago.

Since that time, the Federal caseload has ballooned, and it has become increasingly difficult to ensure that Americans are able to have their day in court. This need spurred Republicans and Democrats to seek passage of the JUDGES Act earlier this year before the November election.

That bill was predicated on an agreement to give 25 judicial appointments to the unknown at that time next President. I was disappointed that Republican leadership held the bill until after the election in order to ensure that their candidate controlled the appointments.

It was very disappointing to have politics introduced on what should have been a bipartisan bill. We can't go back in time and pass the JUDGES Act before the election, but we can pass this legislation on a bipartisan basis to prevent the loss of 10 Federal judgeships when the current temporary judgeships expire.

Temporary judgeships are designed to help district courts reduce unusually large backlogs. Short-term judgeships look very similar to permanent ones. They are created by Congress, and the judges are appointed by the President to a lifetime judgeship.

However, after a temporary judgeship expires, the next person to retire or otherwise leave the bench in that judicial district is simply not replaced. That is exactly what will happen if these 10 temporary judgeships are allowed to lapse.

When a judge retires, no new nominees will be sent to Congress. Those judicial districts will lose judgeships on which they have relied for at least two decades, and Americans living in those districts will have trouble accessing justice.

We may call these judgeships temporary, but it is clear they are needed on a permanent basis. The 10 at issue today on S. 3998 have been reauthorized again and again. Since they were first authorized over 20 years ago, our Nation has grown, and with it, the demands on our Federal judicial system have grown too.

Making these 10 temporary judgeships permanent will ensure that people living and working in those communities have a Federal court system that is more responsive to their needs.

The Federal Judiciary Stabilization Act is a product of bipartisan, bicameral work. I thank my colleagues in both Chambers, Senators Mazie Hirono and Ted Cruz along with Representatives Ted Lieu and Lance Gooden for their hard work on this bill.

The Senate passed this bill in April, so if the House passes it today, it will go directly to the President's desk. I am proud to support this bill. I urge all of my colleagues to do the same

Mr. Speaker, this legislation will strengthen the rule of law and access to justice, and provide stability to our judiciary by ensuring the number of Federal judges doesn't decrease when these temporary judgeships expire.

Each of these judicial districts has relied on these temporary judgeships for decades, and it is long past time that we make them permanent. This bill is a small, but meaningful step toward making our courthouse doors accessible to all Americans, regardless of where they live. I hope we can replicate this bipartisan work in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this bill, and send it to the President's desk, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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