Title: JUDGES Act
Policy area: Law

Summary:
Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved Act or the JUDGES Act
This bill requires the appointment of additional U.S. district court judges, converts certain temporary district court judgeships into permanent judgeships, and requires the Government Accountability Office to report on vacant or underused federal courthouses.
Specifically, the bill requires the appointment of 34 district court judges on or after January 21, 2021, in specified judicial districts in Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, and Texas.
Further, 31 district court judges must be appointed on or after January 21, 2025, in specified judicial districts in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and Texas.
Additionally, the bill converts certain temporary district court judgeships to permanent judgeships in specified judicial districts in Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Texas.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4779 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4779

  To authorize additional district judges for the district courts and 
                     convert temporary judgeships.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 1, 2020

   Mr. Young 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.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Judicial Understaffing Delays 
Getting Emergencies Solved Act'' or the ``JUDGES Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Judicial Conference of the United States requested 
        the creation of 65 new district judges in its 2019 report.
            (2) The Judicial Conference of the United States has named 
        42 vacancies as judicial emergencies.
            (3) In fiscal year 2019, there were 456,827 pending cases, 
        averaging 674 per judgeship, of which 15.8 percent were over 3 
        years old.

SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL DISTRICT JUDGES FOR THE DISTRICT COURTS.

    (a) Additional Judgeships.--
            (1) 2021.--On or after January 21, 2021, the President 
        shall appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the 
        Senate--
                    (A) 2 additional district judges for the district 
                of Arizona;
                    (B) 4 additional district judges for the central 
                district of California;
                    (C) 3 additional district judges for the eastern 
                district of California;
                    (D) 2 additional district judges for the northern 
                district of California;
                    (E) 2 additional district judges for the southern 
                district of California;
                    (F) 1 additional district judge for the district of 
                Colorado;
                    (G) 1 additional district judge for the district of 
                Delaware;
                    (H) 3 additional district judges for the middle 
                district of Florida;
                    (I) 2 additional district judges for the southern 
                district of Florida;
                    (J) 1 additional district judge for the district of 
                Idaho;
                    (K) 1 additional district judge for the southern 
                district of Indiana;
                    (L) 1 additional district judge for the northern 
                district of Iowa;
                    (M) 1 additional district judge for the district of 
                Nevada;
                    (N) 2 additional district judges for the district 
                of New Jersey;
                    (O) 1 additional district judge for the district of 
                New Mexico;
                    (P) 1 additional district judge for the eastern 
                district of New York;
                    (Q) 1 additional district judge for the southern 
                district of New York;
                    (R) 1 additional district judge for the eastern 
                district of Texas;
                    (S) 1 additional district judge for the southern 
                district of Texas; and
                    (T) 3 additional district judges for the western 
                district of Texas.
            (2) 2025.--On or after January 21, 2025, the President 
        shall appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the 
        Senate--
                    (A) 2 additional district judges for the district 
                of Arizona;
                    (B) 5 additional district judges for the central 
                district of California;
                    (C) 2 additional district judges for the eastern 
                district of California;
                    (D) 2 additional district judges for the northern 
                district of California;
                    (E) 2 additional district judges for the southern 
                district of California;
                    (F) 1 additional district judge for the district of 
                Colorado;
                    (G) 3 additional district judges for the middle 
                district of Florida;
                    (H) 1 additional district judge for the northern 
                district of Florida;
                    (I) 1 additional district judge for the southern 
                district of Florida;
                    (J) 1 additional district judge for the northern 
                district of Georgia;
                    (K) 1 additional district judge for the southern 
                district of Indiana;
                    (L) 2 additional district judges for the district 
                of New Jersey;
                    (M) 1 additional district judge for the eastern 
                district of New York;
                    (N) 1 additional district judge for the western 
                district of New York;
                    (O) 1 additional district judge for the district of 
                Puerto Rico;
                    (P) 1 additional district judge for the eastern 
                district of Texas;
                    (Q) 1 additional district judge for the southern 
                district of Texas; and
                    (R) 3 additional district judges for the western 
                district of Texas.
    (b) Conversion of Temporary Judgeships.--The existing judgeships 
for the district of Hawaii, the district of Kansas, and the eastern 
district of Missouri authorized by section 203(c) of the Judicial 
Improvements Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-650; 28 U.S.C. 133 note) and 
the existing judgeships for the northern district of Alabama, the 
district of Arizona, the central district of California, the southern 
district of Florida, the district of New Mexico, the western district 
of North Carolina, and the eastern district of Texas authorized by 
section 312(c) of the 21st Century Department of Justice Appropriations 
Authorization Act (Public Law 107-273, 28 U.S.C. 133 note), as of the 
date of enactment of this Act, shall be authorized under section 133 of 
title 28, United States Code, and the incumbents in those offices shall 
hold the office under section 133 of title 28, United States Code, as 
amended by this Act.
    (c) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--The table contained in 
section 133(a) of title 28, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking the items relating to Alabama and inserting 
        the following:


  ``Alabama:
  Northern.............................  8
  Middle...............................  3
  Southern.............................  3'';
 

            (2) by striking the item relating to Arizona and inserting 
        the following:


  ``Arizona............................  17'';
 

            (3) by striking the items relating to California and 
        inserting the following:


  ``California:
  Northern.............................  18
  Eastern..............................  11
  Central..............................  37
  Southern.............................  17'';
 

            (4) by striking the item relating to Colorado and inserting 
        the following:


  ``Colorado...........................  9'';
 

            (5) by striking the item relating to Delaware and inserting 
        the following:


  ``Delaware...........................  5'';
 

            (6) by striking the items relating to Florida and inserting 
        the following:


  ``Florida:
  Northern.............................  5
  Middle...............................  21
  Southern.............................  21'';
 

            (7) by striking the items relating to Georgia and inserting 
        the following:


  ``Georgia:
  Northern.............................  12
  Middle...............................  4
  Southern.............................  3'';
 

            (8) by striking the item relating to Hawaii and inserting 
        the following:


  ``Hawaii.............................  4'';
 

            (9) by striking the item relating to Idaho and inserting 
        the following:


  ``Idaho..............................  3'';
 

            (10) by striking the items relating to Indiana and 
        inserting the following:


  ``Indiana:
  Northern.............................  5
  Southern.............................  7'';
 

            (11) by striking the items relating to Iowa and inserting 
        the following:


  ``Iowa:
  Northern.............................  3
  Southern.............................  3'';
 

            (12) by striking the item relating to Kansas and inserting 
        the following:


  ``Kansas.............................  6'';
 

            (13) by striking the items relating to Missouri and 
        inserting the following:


  ``Missouri:
  Eastern..............................  7
  Western..............................  5
  Eastern and Western..................  2'';
 

            (14) by striking the item relating to Nevada and inserting 
        the following:


  ``Nevada.............................  8'';
 

            (15) by striking the item relating to New Jersey and 
        inserting the following:


  ``New Jersey.........................  21'';
 

            (16) by striking the item relating to New Mexico and 
        inserting the following:


  ``New Mexico.........................  8'';
 

            (17) by striking the items relating to New York and 
        inserting the following:


  ``New York:
  Northern.............................  5
  Southern.............................  29
  Eastern..............................  17
  Western..............................  5'';
 

            (18) by striking the items relating to North Carolina and 
        inserting the following:


  ``North Carolina:
  Eastern..............................  4
  Middle...............................  4
  Western..............................  5'';
 

            (19) by striking the item relating to Puerto Rico and 
        inserting the following:


  ``Puerto Rico........................  8'';
 

        and
            (20) by striking the items relating to Texas and inserting 
        the following:


  ``Texas:
  Northern.............................  12
  Southern.............................  21
  Eastern..............................  10
  Western..............................  19''.
 

SEC. 4. GAO REPORT ON VACANT AND UNDERUTILIZED COURTHOUSES.

    Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Comptroller General of the United States shall make publicly available 
a report identifying Federal courthouses that are vacant or underused.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out this Act and the amendments made by this Act, 
including such sums as may be necessary to provide appropriate space 
and facilities for the judicial positions created by this Act or an 
amendment made by this Act.
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