Austin News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) in applauding the Senate’s unanimous passage of the Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved (JUDGES) Act of 2024. The JUDGES Act aims to address judicial emergencies and shortages by increasing the number of federal district judges in the most overworked regions.

The bipartisan legislation will now proceed to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Upon passage, Sen. Cruz stated, "Congress has failed in its responsibility to authorize sufficient judgeships and resources for the judicial branch, particularly in America’s fastest-growing communities like Texas. As a result, federal judges in Texas have been disproportionately burdened with crushing caseloads and excessive backlogs, hindering the efficiency and effectiveness of our judicial system. It’s our constitutional duty to ensure that these judicial shortages no longer restrict any American’s access to justice. I am proud that my colleagues in the Senate have unanimously recognized the severity of these consequences, and I urge my colleagues in the House to do the same by passing this legislation."

Senator Cruz was joined by Senators James Lankford (R-Okla.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), and Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) in co-sponsoring the legislation.

Courts across the country are overburdened and facing a shortage of federal judges. As of March 31, 2023, there were 686,797 pending cases in federal district courts nationwide, averaging 491 filings per judgeship over a 12-month period. In March 2023, the Judicial Conference of the United States recommended that Congress create 66 new district court judgeships to help alleviate this crisis.

The JUDGES Act would install 13 new district judges in Texas across all four judicial districts over the next 12 years. It would also allow federal judges to hear cases in College Station, improving judicial access in that area.

###