Making Justice More Accessible to Americans

Currently, many Americans are being denied access to our justice system thanks to an overload of cases and a shortage of judges, making it harder for Americans to get their day in court, significantly delaying the justice process, while placing the burden on current judges.

Congress has not authorized new judgeships in more than 20 years, and comprehensive judgeship legislation has not been enacted since 1990 – the longest period of time that Congress has not authorized new permanent district court judgeships since district courts were established in 1789.

Meanwhile, the United States population has grown by nearly 100 million people, and with that population increase, federal case filings have increased by 40 percent. This means there are not enough judges to address cases in a timely fashion, resulting in delays, crushing caseloads, and the judges we do have being overworked as they try and fail to keep pace with increased case filings.

Americans deserve a justice system that is efficient, just, and has the amount of judges needed to give Americans their day in court. House Republicans are bringing legislation to create new district court judgeships to aid with the rise in case filings, alleviating the burden on current judges and making our justice system more accessible for those seeking to be heard wherever they live. 

S. 4199, the Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved (JUDGES) Act of 2024, introduced by Sen. Todd Young, would add 66 new federal judgeships in overworked districts across the country to help address case filing increases and ensure Americans have access to justice in a timely manner. 

It is vital we ensure our justice system is equipped to address Americans seeking justice without significant delays and overburdening judges – this legislation would do just that.