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U.S. Sen. Todd Young has reintroduced legislation to address judicial shortages by increasing the number of federal district judges in the most “overworked” regions of the country, his office announced Tuesday.
Young, R-Indiana, introduced the legislation with Sens. Chris Coons, D-Delaware; James Lankford, R-Oklahoma; and Alex Padilla, D-California.
According to Young’s office, the JUDGES Act, which was first introduced in 2020 and again in 2021, would act on findings from the 2023 Judicial Conference of the United States report that recommended 66 new permanent district court judgeships, including one in the Indiana Southern District Court.
The legislation would create the judgeships after the next two presidential elections — half in 2025 and half in 2029.
“Too many Americans are being denied access to our justice system due to an overload of cases and a shortage of judges,” Young said in a statement. “These judicial emergencies are affecting Indiana and a number of other states across the country. Our bipartisan bill will help address this shortage and ensure all Americans have the opportunity to have their day in court.”
There were 686,797 pending cases in federal district courts as of March 31, Young’s office said, averaging 491 filings per judgeship over a 12-month period.
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