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House subcommittee hears urgency of new federal judgeships as debate over timing turns partisan
Summary
Witnesses and members clashed over the timing and politics of a bill to add federal judgeships while the Judicial Conference told lawmakers the courts urgently need more judges to reduce multi‑year delays and rising caseloads.
The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts heard extensive testimony Thursday about a shortage of Article III judges and the urgency of congressional action to add judgeships, amid partisan disagreement over how and when to phase appointments.
Judge Timothy Timkovich, appearing by designation for the Judicial Conference of the United States, told the subcommittee that the Judicial Conference "objectively determined the nation's federal courts urgently need 68 new judgeships," and urged Congress to act quickly to reduce delays for litigants.
The question of timing — whether new judgeships should be phased in to begin with a future, "next unknown" president as part of a bipartisan compromise, or front‑loaded now — divided members. Several Democrats and some Republicans recalled a bipartisan agreement last Congress that would have phased judgeship appointments across administrations; they said breaking that arrangement made the measure political. Representative Johnson (ranking member) told the subcommittee he stood…
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