JUDGES Act of 2024

What it does

This bill creates 63 new permanent U.S. district court judgeships over a 10-year period and 3 temporary U.S. district court judgeships in 2025. The President must appoint, with the advice and consent of the Senate, additional judges for specified judicial districts.

Specifically, the bill creates 63 additional permanent judgeships, which are added every two years from 2025 through 2035. The state and the total number of judgeships added over the 10-year period for the state are as follows:

• Arizona (2),

• California (21),

• Colorado (2),

• Delaware (2),

• Florida (9),

• Georgia (2),

• Idaho (1),

• Indiana (1),

• Iowa (1),

• Nebraska (1),

• New Jersey (3),

• New York (5), and

• Texas (13).

Additionally, in 2025, the bill creates three temporary judgeships in Oklahoma.

The bill adds locations for where district courts must be held in certain states. Specifically, the bill requires the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California to be additionally held in El Centro, California; the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas (Houston Division) to be additionally held in College Station, Texas; and the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah (Central Division) to be additionally held in Moab and Monticello, Utah.

The Government Accountability Office must submit reports to Congress on judicial caseloads and detention space.

The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts must make publicly accessible, and submit to Congress, a specified biennial report on judgeship recommendations.

Summary by the Congressional Research Service, Dec 12, 2024 (Passed House). CRS summarizes bills impartially; it does not take positions.