Biden Vetoes Bill Seeking to Create 66 New Judge Positions

President Joe Biden vetoed a bill aiming to expand judgeship slots in the United States, questioning the “motivating force” behind the measure. On Dec. 12, the Republican-led House of Representatives voted 236–173 to approve the Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved (JUDGES) Act of 2024 seeking to add 66 district court judgeships in the country. Before the vote, the White House had warned that Biden would veto the bill. On Dec. 23, the president announced he was vetoing the bill, saying the measure “seeks to hastily add judgeships with just a few weeks left in the 118th Congress.” The bill fails to resolve some key questions, such as how new judgeships are allocated, the president said, adding that such questions must be answered before permanent judgeships for life-tenured judges are created....