Federal Judiciary Stabilization Act of 2024

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 3998, the Federal Judiciary Stabilization Act of 2024, a bill to convert 10 temporary Federal judgeships to permanent seats.

Our country is facing a serious judicial shortage and has for some time. The last bill creating Federal district court judgeships was passed into law over 30 years ago.

Since that time, the Federal caseload has ballooned, and it has become increasingly difficult to ensure that Americans are able to have their day in court. This need spurred Republicans and Democrats to seek passage of the JUDGES Act earlier this year before the November election.

That bill was predicated on an agreement to give 25 judicial appointments to the unknown at that time next President. I was disappointed that Republican leadership held the bill until after the election in order to ensure that their candidate controlled the appointments.

It was very disappointing to have politics introduced on what should have been a bipartisan bill. We can't go back in time and pass the JUDGES Act before the election, but we can pass this legislation on a bipartisan basis to prevent the loss of 10 Federal judgeships when the current temporary judgeships expire.

Temporary judgeships are designed to help district courts reduce unusually large backlogs. Short-term judgeships look very similar to permanent ones. They are created by Congress, and the judges are appointed by the President to a lifetime judgeship.

However, after a temporary judgeship expires, the next person to retire or otherwise leave the bench in that judicial district is simply not replaced. That is exactly what will happen if these 10 temporary judgeships are allowed to lapse.

When a judge retires, no new nominees will be sent to Congress. Those judicial districts will lose judgeships on which they have relied for at least two decades, and Americans living in those districts will have trouble accessing justice.

We may call these judgeships temporary, but it is clear they are needed on a permanent basis. The 10 at issue today on S. 3998 have been reauthorized again and again. Since they were first authorized over 20 years ago, our Nation has grown, and with it, the demands on our Federal judicial system have grown too.

Making these 10 temporary judgeships permanent will ensure that people living and working in those communities have a Federal court system that is more responsive to their needs.

The Federal Judiciary Stabilization Act is a product of bipartisan, bicameral work. I thank my colleagues in both Chambers, Senators Mazie Hirono and Ted Cruz along with Representatives Ted Lieu and Lance Gooden for their hard work on this bill.

The Senate passed this bill in April, so if the House passes it today, it will go directly to the President's desk. I am proud to support this bill. I urge all of my colleagues to do the same

Mr. Speaker, this legislation will strengthen the rule of law and access to justice, and provide stability to our judiciary by ensuring the number of Federal judges doesn't decrease when these temporary judgeships expire.

Each of these judicial districts has relied on these temporary judgeships for decades, and it is long past time that we make them permanent. This bill is a small, but meaningful step toward making our courthouse doors accessible to all Americans, regardless of where they live. I hope we can replicate this bipartisan work in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this bill, and send it to the President's desk, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 3998) to provide for the permanent appointment of certain temporary district judgeships.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on S. 3998.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, this Congress has already taken the most important step to stabilizing our overworked Federal courts.

Last week, the House joined the Senate in decisively passing the JUDGES Act of 2024. Dozens of Democrats joined Republicans to finally add much-needed judgeships for the first time in 20 years. We urge the President to set aside partisan politics and sign the bill into law.

The bill before us today, S. 3998, is another piece of critical legislation aimed at relieving the backlog of our Federal courts. The Federal Judiciary Stabilization Act of 2024 further aids the Federal judiciary by converting 10 temporary judgeships into permanent ones.

Importantly, this bill does not create any new vacancies. Instead, this bill ensures that districts don't lose a judgeship if a judge retires or takes senior status after a temporary judgeship expires in the future.

This bill makes permanent judgeships in Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Texas. Passing this bill will provide stability

to the regions of those States that have come to rely on these temporary judgeships since their creation, in some cases more than 30 years ago.

This bill takes into account the recommendations of the Judicial Conference of the United States, and it is sorely needed.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the House to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I echo the comments of my colleague from across the aisle, and I urge my colleagues in the House to support this bipartisan, bicameral piece of legislation, S. 3998, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of S. 3998 and the

Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed; the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.