I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 314 
To increase the number of Federal judgeships in certain judicial districts 
with heavy caseloads of criminal immigration cases. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 8, 2009 
Mr. CUELLAR introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To increase the number of Federal judgeships in certain 
judicial districts with heavy caseloads of criminal immi-
gration cases. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Federal Criminal Im-
migration Courts Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Based on the recommendations 
made by the 2007 Judicial Conference and the statistical 
data provided by the 2006 Federal Court Management 
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Statistics (issued by the Administrative Office of the 
United States Courts), the Congress finds the following: 
(1) Federal courts along the southwest border 
of the United States have a greater percentage of 
their criminal caseload affected by immigration cases 
than other Federal courts. 
(2) The percentage of criminal immigration 
cases in most southwest border district courts totals 
more than 49 percent of the total criminal caseloads 
of those districts. 
(3) The current number of judges authorized 
for those courts is inadequate to handle the current 
caseload. 
(4) Such an increase in the caseload of criminal 
immigration filings requires a corresponding increase 
in the number of Federal judgeships. 
(5) The 2007 Judicial Conference recommended 
the addition of judgeships to meet this growing bur-
den. 
(6) The Congress should authorize the addi-
tional district court judges necessary to carry out 
the 2007 recommendations of the Judicial Con-
ference for district courts in which the criminal im-
migration filings represented more than 49 percent 
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(A) in the item relating to Arizona, by 
striking ‘‘12’’ and inserting ‘‘16’’; 
(B) in the item relating to New Mexico, by 
striking ‘‘6’’ and inserting ‘‘7’’; 
(C) in the item relating to Texas— 
(i) by striking ‘‘19’’ and inserting 
‘‘21’’ and; 
(ii) by striking ‘‘13’’ and inserting 
‘‘14’’. 
(b) TEMPORARY JUDGESHIPS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall appoint, 
by and with the advice and consent of the Senate— 
(A) 1 additional district judge for the dis-
trict of Arizona; and 
(B) 1 additional district judge for the dis-
trict of New Mexico. 
(2) VACANCY NOT FILLED.—For each of the ju-
dicial districts named in this subsection, the first va-
cancy arising on the district court 10 years or more 
after a judge is first confirmed to fill the temporary 
district judgeship created in that district by this 
subsection shall not be filled. 
Æ 
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