Senate Unanimously Approves Judgeships Expansion Bill

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the bipartisan JUDGES Act, which proposes to create 63 permanent and three temporary judgeships across federal district courts, marking the first significant expansion of the federal judiciary in over two decades. The act aims to address the significant backlog of cases and alleviate the heavy caseloads faced by judges, with recommendations from the 2023 Judicial Conference of the United States serving as the foundation for this legislation. Colorado, specifically, will see an increase in its judges from seven to nine by 2033, reflecting the state's growing judicial demands. The bill is now headed to the House of Representatives for consideration, where lawmakers hope to swiftly pass it to ensure President Biden can sign it into law. This legislation represents a rare display of bipartisanship in Congress, with all 100 senators agreeing to its passage. If enacted, the bill will implement a systematic approach for evaluating future judgeship needs based on caseloads.