II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2759 

To authorize additional district judges for the district courts and convert 

temporary judgeships. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 11, 2023 

Mr. YOUNG (for himself, Mr. COONS, Mr. LANKFORD, and Mr. PADILLA) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To authorize additional district judges for the district courts 

and convert temporary judgeships. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Judicial Understaffing 

5 Delays Getting Emergencies Solved Act’’ or the 

6 ‘‘JUDGES Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

8 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) Article III of the Constitution of the United 

2 States gives Congress the power to establish judge3 ships in the district courts of the United States. 

4 (2) Congress has not created a new district 

5 court judgeship since 2003 and has not enacted 

6 comprehensive judgeship legislation since 1990. 

7 (3) This represents the longest period of time 

8 since district courts of the United States were estab9 lished in 1789 that Congress has not authorized any 

10 new permanent district court judgeships. 

11 (4) By the end of fiscal year 2022, filings in the 

12 district courts of the United States had increased by 

13 30 percent since the last comprehensive judgeship 

14 legislation. 

15 (5) As of March 31, 2023, there were 686,797 

16 pending cases in the district courts of the United 

17 States, with an average of 491 weighted case filings 

18 per judgeship over a 12-month period. 

19 (6) To deal with increased filings in the district 

20 courts of the United States, the Judicial Conference 

21 of the United States requested the creation of 66 

22 new district court judgeships in its 2023 report. 

23 SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL DISTRICT JUDGES FOR THE DISTRICT 

24 COURTS. 

25 (a) ADDITIONAL JUDGESHIPS.— 


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1 (1) 2025.—On or after January 21, 2025, the 

2 President shall appoint, by and with the advice and 

3 consent of the Senate— 

4 (A) 1 additional district judge for the dis5 trict of Arizona; 

6 (B) 5 additional district judges for the cen7 tral district of California; 

8 (C) 2 additional district judges for the 

9 eastern district of California; 

10 (D) 3 additional district judges for the 

11 northern district of California; 

12 (E) 1 additional district judge for the 

13 southern district of California; 

14 (F) 1 additional district judge for the dis15 trict of Colorado; 

16 (G) 1 additional district judge for the dis17 trict of Delaware; 

18 (H) 2 additional district judges for the 

19 middle district of Florida; 

20 (I) 1 additional district judge for the 

21 southern district of Florida; 

22 (J) 1 additional district judge for the 

23 northern district of Georgia; 

24 (K) 1 additional district judge for the dis25 trict of Idaho; 


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1 (L) 1 additional district judge for the 

2 southern district of Indiana; 

3 (M) 1 additional district judge for the 

4 northern district of Iowa; 

5 (N) 1 additional district judge for the dis6 trict of Nebraska; 

7 (O) 1 additional district judge for the dis8 trict of New Jersey; 

9 (P) 1 additional district judge for the east10 ern district of New York; 

11 (Q) 1 additional district judge for the 

12 southern district of New York; 

13 (R) 1 additional district judge for the east14 ern district of Texas; 

15 (S) 1 additional district judge for the 

16 northern district of Texas; 

17 (T) 2 additional district judges for the 

18 southern district of Texas; and 

19 (U) 3 additional district judges for the 

20 western district of Texas. 

21 (2) 2029.—On or after January 21, 2029, the 

22 President shall appoint, by and with the advice and 

23 consent of the Senate— 

24 (A) 1 additional district judge for the dis25 trict of Arizona; 


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1 (B) 4 additional district judges for the cen2 tral district of California; 

3 (C) 2 additional district judge for the east4 ern district of California; 

5 (D) 3 additional district judges for the 

6 northern district of California; 

7 (E) 1 additional district judge for the 

8 southern district of California; 

9 (F) 1 additional district judge for the dis10 trict of Colorado; 

11 (G) 1 additional district judge for the dis12 trict of Delaware; 

13 (H) 3 additional district judges for the 

14 middle district of Florida; 

15 (I) 1 additional district judge for the 

16 northern district of Florida; 

17 (J) 2 additional district judges for the 

18 southern district of Florida; 

19 (K) 1 additional district judge for the 

20 northern district of Georgia; 

21 (L) 2 additional district judges for the dis22 trict of New Jersey; 

23 (M) 1 additional district judge for the 

24 eastern district of New York; 


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1 (N) 1 additional district judge for the 

2 southern district of New York; 

3 (O) 1 additional district judge for the 

4 western district of New York; 

5 (P) 1 additional district judge for the east6 ern district of Texas; 

7 (Q) 2 additional district judge for the 

8 southern district of Texas; and 

9 (R) 3 additional district judges for the 

10 western district of Texas. 

11 (b) TEMPORARY JUDGESHIPS.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall appoint, 

13 by and with the advice and consent of the Senate— 

14 (A) 2 additional district judges for the 

15 eastern district of Oklahoma; and 

16 (B) 1 additional district judge for the 

17 northern district of Oklahoma. 

18 (2) VACANCIES NOT FILLED.—The first va19 cancy in the office of district judge in each of the 

20 offices of district judge authorized by this sub21 section, occurring 5 years or more after the con22 firmation date of the judge named to fill the tem23 porary district judgeship created in the applicable 

24 district by this subsection, shall not be filled. 


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1 (3) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This subsection shall 

2 take effect on January 21, 2025. 

3 (c) CONVERSION OF TEMPORARY JUDGESHIPS.—The 

4 existing judgeship for the eastern district of Missouri au5 thorized by section 203(c) of the Judicial Improvements 

6 Act of 1990 (Public Law 101–650; 28 U.S.C. 133 note) 

7 and the existing judgeships for the district of Arizona, the 

8 central district of California, the southern district of Flor9 ida, the district of New Mexico, the western district of 

10 North Carolina, and the eastern district of Texas author11 ized by section 312(c) of the 21st Century Department 

12 of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act (Public Law 

13 107–273, 28 U.S.C. 133 note), as of the date of enact14 ment of this Act, shall be authorized under section 133 

15 of title 28, United States Code, and the incumbents in 

16 those offices shall hold the office under section 133 of title 

17 28, United States Code, as amended by this Act. 

18 (d) EXTENSION OF TEMPORARY FEDERAL DISTRICT

19 COURT JUDGESHIPS FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF

20 ALABAMA AND THE DISTRICT OF KANSAS.— 

21 (1) NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ALABAMA.—Sec22 tion 312(c)(2) of the 21st Century Department of 

23 Justice Appropriations Authorization Act (Public 

24 Law 107–273, 28 U.S.C. 133 note) is amended— 


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1 (A) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘Cali2 fornia’’ and inserting ‘‘California, northern dis3 trict of Alabama,’’; and 

4 (B) by inserting ‘‘The first vacancy in the 

5 office of district judge in the northern district 

6 of Alabama occurring 26 years or more after 

7 the confirmation date of the judge named to fill 

8 the temporary district judgeship created in that 

9 district by this subsection, shall not be filled.’’ 

10 after the period at the end of the third sen11 tence. 

12 (2) DISTRICT OF KANSAS.—Section 203(c) of 

13 the Judicial Improvements Act of 1990 (Public Law 

14 101–650; 28 U.S.C. 133 note) is amended, in the 

15 matter following paragraph (12), in the second sen16 tence, by striking ‘‘32 years and 6 months’’ and in17 serting ‘‘37 years and 6 months’’. 

18 (e) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

19 The table contained in section 133(a) of title 28, United 

20 States Code, is amended— 

21 (1) by striking the item relating to Arizona and 

22 inserting the following: 

‘‘Arizona ................................................................. 15’’; 

23 (2) by striking the items relating to California 

24 and inserting the following: 


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‘‘California: 

Northern ................................................................. 20 

Eastern ................................................................... 10 

Central .................................................................... 37 

Southern ................................................................. 15’’; 

1 (3) by striking the item relating to Colorado 

2 and inserting the following: 

‘‘Colorado ............................................................... 9’’; 

3 (4) by striking the item relating to Delaware 

4 and inserting the following: 

‘‘Delaware ............................................................... 6’’; 

5 (5) by striking the items relating to Florida and 

6 inserting the following: 

‘‘Florida: 

Northern ................................................................. 5 

Middle ..................................................................... 20 

Southern ................................................................. 21’’; 

7 (6) by striking the items relating to Georgia 

8 and inserting the following: 

‘‘Georgia: 

Northern ................................................................. 13 

Middle ..................................................................... 4 

Southern ................................................................. 3’’; 

9 (7) by striking the item relating to Idaho and 

10 inserting the following: 

‘‘Idaho .................................................................... 3’’; 

11 (8) by striking the items relating to Indiana 

12 and inserting the following: 

‘‘Indiana: 

Northern ................................................................. 5 

Southern ................................................................. 6’’; 


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1 (9) by striking the items relating to Iowa and 

2 inserting the following: 

‘‘Iowa: 

Northern ................................................................. 3 

Southern ................................................................. 3’’; 

3 (10) by striking the items relating to Missouri 

4 and inserting the following: 

‘‘Missouri: 

Eastern ................................................................... 7 

Western .................................................................. 5 

Eastern and Western ............................................. 2’’; 

5 (11) by striking the item relating to Nebraska 

6 and inserting the following: 

‘‘Nebraska .............................................................. 4’’; 

7 (12) by striking the item relating to New Jer8 sey and inserting the following: 

‘‘New Jersey ........................................................... 20’’; 

9 (13) by striking the item relating to New Mex10 ico and inserting the following: 

‘‘New Mexico .......................................................... 7’’; 

11 (14) by striking the items relating to New York 

12 and inserting the following: 

‘‘New York: 

Northern ................................................................. 5 

Southern ................................................................. 30 

Eastern ................................................................... 17 

Western .................................................................. 5’’; 

13 (15) by striking the items relating to North 

14 Carolina and inserting the following: 

‘‘North Carolina: 


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Eastern ................................................................... 4 

Middle ..................................................................... 4 

Western .................................................................. 5’’; 

1 and 

2 (16) by striking the items relating to Texas and 

3 inserting the following: 

‘‘Texas: 

Northern ................................................................. 13 

Southern ................................................................. 23 

Eastern ................................................................... 10 

Western .................................................................. 19’’. 

4 SEC. 4. GAO REPORT ON VACANT AND UNDERUTILIZED 

5 COURTHOUSES. 

6 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

7 of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 

8 shall make publicly available a report identifying Federal 

9 courthouses that are vacant or underused. 

10 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

11 There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 

12 as may be necessary to carry out this Act and the amend13 ments made by this Act, including such sums as may be 

14 necessary to provide appropriate space and facilities for 

15 the judicial positions created by this Act or an amendment 

16 made by this Act. 

Æ 


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