Latest news with #JUDGESAct
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. Rep. Simpson again cosponsors bill for third Idaho federal district judge
U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, speaks with press while walking into the House Chambers to vote on Feb. 25, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by) U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, is again attempting to add a third Idaho federal district court judge — as part of a broader judgeship expansion bill. In 1954, Congress approved a second federal district judgeship for Idaho, which has been one of the fastest-growing states in recent years. Since then, Idaho's population has more than tripled to over 2 million residents. In 2021, the Associated Press reported Idaho had the fewest federal judges of any state. Simpson's office announced Thursday the longtime congressman has cosponsored the JUDGES Act. Over the next decade, the bill would create 63 permanent judgeships, including adding a new federal district judgeship in Idaho, Simpson's office said. 'With Idaho's growing population comes greater pressure on our courts and an increase in cases,' Simpson said in a written statement. 'Adding a third district judgeship will help reduce backlogs and ensure Idahoans receive timely justice. This solution will strengthen our judicial system and better serve the people of Idaho.' The new bill is similar to another bill Congress passed, and former President Joe Biden vetoed in December. Simpson has attempted other legislation to add a third Idaho federal district court judge, including a bill introduced in January with U.S. Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Progressive groups: Attacks on judiciary ‘unprecedented constitutional danger'
More than 80 national and local progressive groups are warning that the country is facing an 'unprecedented constitutional danger' over recent attacks against judges by President Trump and his backers on Capitol Hill. The 81 groups said in a Thursday letter that Trump and his allies have threatened judges and law firms, along with introducing legislation to 'undercut and intimidate the judicial branch.' 'As organizations representing millions of Americans, we are profoundly concerned by these sweeping proposals and the actions of President Trump, his administration, and his congressional allies to intimidate the judiciary, dismantle the rule of law, and weaponize the executive branch,' the groups wrote in the four-page letter. 'The Trump administration's authoritarian actions threaten a system of checks and balances that has safeguarded our democracy for nearly 250 years,' they said. The progressive organizations pointed to public statements from the administration, including Vice President Vance writing on social platform X in early February that 'judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power.' The groups also highlighted previous calls by Trump to impeach U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who issued a ruling that barred the Trump administration from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan migrants. 'Efforts to delegitimize court orders, threaten judges, and erode constitutional safeguards fundamentally threaten American democracy,' the groups wrote in the letter. 'Even more disturbing, congressional allies are now attempting to codify these authoritarian power grabs through legislation.' The organizations emphasized three House bills that in their view should be rejected: a bill to make it easier for executive branch officials to move cases against them from state to federal courts, one granting the president authority to boost the number of lifetime district court judges, and a measure that limits the power of district judges to impose nationwide injunctions. A large majority of Americans, 70 percent, said they oppose impeaching judges who rule against the administration's wishes, a new Marquette Law School poll found. Some organizations that penned the letter included Democracy Forward, Human Rights Campaign and Public Citizen. 'We urge Congress to stand firm against the assaults on our democracy by rejecting the JUDGES Act, the PEPPER Act, and the NORRA Act,' the organizations wrote, referring to the proposed legislation. 'We urge legal professionals to speak out against these unjust attacks.' 'Instead, we must strengthen judicial independence and reinforce the separation of powers,' they added. 'We demand that the president, his administration, and Congress cease attacks on judges and lawyers and reaffirm their commitment to the rule of law.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
03-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Progressive groups: Attacks on judiciary ‘unprecedented constitutional danger'
More than 80 national and local progressive groups are warning that the country is facing an 'unprecedented constitutional danger' over recent attacks against judges by President Trump and his backers on Capitol Hill. The 81 groups said in a Thursday letter that Trump and his allies have threatened judges and law firms, along with introducing legislation to 'undercut and intimidate the judicial branch.' 'As organizations representing millions of Americans, we are profoundly concerned by these sweeping proposals and the actions of President Trump, his administration, and his congressional allies to intimidate the judiciary, dismantle the rule of law, and weaponize the executive branch,' the 81 group wrote in the 4-page letter. 'The Trump administration's authoritarian actions threaten a system of checks and balances that has safeguarded our democracy for nearly 250 years,' they said. The progressive organizations pointed to public statements from the administration, including Vice President Vance writing on the social media platform X in early February that 'judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power.' The groups also highlighted previous calls by Trump to impeach U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg, who issued a ruling that barred the Trump administration from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan migrants. 'Efforts to delegitimize court orders, threaten judges, and erode constitutional safeguards fundamentally threaten American democracy,' the groups wrote in the letter. 'Even more disturbing, congressional allies are now attempting to codify these authoritarian power grabs through legislation.' The organizations emphasized three House bills that in their view should be rejected, including a bill to make it easier for executive branch officials to move cases against them from state to federal courts, one granting the president authority to boost the number of lifetime district court judges and a measure that limit the power of district judges to impose nationwide injunctions. A large majority of Americans, 70 percent, said they oppose impeaching judges who rule against the administration's wishes, a new Marquette Law School poll found. Some organizations that penned the letter included Democracy Forward, Human Rights Campaign, Public Citizen. 'We urge Congress to stand firm against the assaults on our democracy by rejecting the JUDGES Act, the PEPPER Act, and the NORRA Act,' the organizations wrote. 'We urge legal professionals to speak out against these unjust attacks.' 'Instead, we must strengthen judicial independence and reinforce the separation of powers,' they added. 'We demand that the president, his administration, and Congress cease attacks on judges and lawyers and reaffirm their commitment to the rule of law.'
Reuters
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Republican-led House panel advances bill to add more judges
March 5 (Reuters) - A U.S. House of Representatives panel advanced a bill on Wednesday to add 66 new judges to understaffed federal courts nationwide, reviving a measure former President Joe Biden in one of his final acts vetoed as Democrats began balking at giving Donald Trump the ability to appoint additional judges. The Republican-led House Judiciary Committee on a nearly party-line 16-11 vote signed off on a re-introduced version, opens new tab of the JUDGES Act that, if passed, would usher in the first major expansion of the federal judiciary since 1990. The measure, long sought by the judiciary, is identical to one that unanimously passed the U.S. Senate last year when it was then in Democratic control and that later cleared the Republican-led House on a 236-173 vote. But Biden vetoed the bill, citing in part the House's delay in taking it up. The House voted for that measure only after Trump won the Nov. 5 election, when it was clear the Republican president could appoint the first 25 new judges. U.S. Representative Darrell Issa, the chair of the House Judiciary Committee's panel on courts, on Wednesday said the need for new judges remained, citing a need for more judges to address a "staggering" backlog of cases in many jurisdictions. "It is, in fact, necessary for the effective administration of justice," he said. "The bill takes critical steps to strengthen our federal judiciary and restore the ability to serve the people effectively." He urged his Democratic House colleagues who had pre-election backed the legislation to do so again. He said even if Trump had the power to name the first 25 judges, his ability to do so would be restricted since the majority were in states with Democratic senators, who could wield "blue slips" to block him from appointing conservative judges in their home states they did not support. But ultimately only one Democrat on the committee voted for the bill, Representative Lou Correa of California, whose state would gain 21 judges over a decade. Representative Jamie Raskin, the panel's top Democrat, said that while he agreed the courts needed more judges, he could not support giving Trump more influence over the courts and that Democrats would only support the bill if his ability to do so was eliminated. Trump made 234 judicial appointments during his first term in office, including three members of the U.S. Supreme Court's 6-3 conservative majority, and is expected even without the JUDGES Act to appoint over 100 more in his second term. "Obviously we're not going to be party to another court-packing scheme," Raskin said.
Reuters
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
US judge urges Congress to revive effort to expand judiciary
Feb 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. federal judiciary on Tuesday renewed its push for Congress to add new judges to understaffed courts nationwide, as a federal appeals court judge urged lawmakers to put aside politics to address the "urgent" need for more judgeships. U.S. Circuit Judge Timothy Tymkovich during a hearing before a subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee lamented how Democratic former President Joe Biden in his final weeks in office vetoed a once-bipartisan bill that would have added 66 new judges in 13 states over a decade. Biden did so after the Republican-led House failed to take up the JUDGES Act until after Donald Trump had emerged as the victor in the Nov. 5 presidential election, putting him in the position to appoint the first 25 judges. "I recognize that the long delay in addressing the country's judicial needs stems in part from the difficulty in resolving ever-evolving political dynamics and partisan concerns," said Tymkovich, a member of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals who was designated to testify, opens new tab on the judiciary's behalf. But he stressed that the judiciary continues to suffer from a "severe shortfall" in judges as he urged Congress to try once again to pass legislation that could "correct severe stresses on the dockets of many courts throughout the country." Tymkovich, an appointee of Republican former President George W. Bush, said the shortage was causing significant case backlogs, particularly in civil litigation. Over the last two decades, the number of civil cases pending for more than three years has risen 346%, Tymkovich said. "Substantial delays erode public confidence in the judicial process and the timely administration of justice," he said. U.S. Representative Darrell Issa, the chair of the House Judiciary Committee's panel on courts, promised to introduce a bill identical to the legislation Biden vetoed, which a spokesperson for Issa said would happen this week. "It has been decades since we made a major addition to the court, and the case loads have grown," he said. Issa called the JUDGES Act "carefully crafted" legislation that would address that issue. The bill had passed the U.S. Senate unanimously before last November's presidential election, and even post-election it garnered 29 Democratic votes in the House. U.S. Representative Hank Johnson, the top Democrat on the subcommittee, said he too looked forward to "one day right-sizing our judiciary, which has been neglected for so long by the legislative branch." But he said he could not support legislation in the House that would allow Trump to further cement his influence on the judiciary. Such a bill would also need to pass the U.S. Senate. While Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in that chamber, they would need to secure the support of some Democrats to secure 60 votes and shut off a filibuster. Trump made 234 judicial appointments during his first term in office, including three members of the U.S. Supreme Court's 6-3 conservative majority, and is expected even without the JUDGES Act to appoint over 100 more in his second term. "This hearing is another step in a decades-long scheme to capture our referees of justice, to make certain our third branch is so deeply loyal to one man that our system of justice cannot possibly work without him," Johnson said. Read more: Biden delivers on threat to veto bill to expand US judiciary US House passes bill to expand judiciary despite Biden veto threat Bill to add 66 US judges would cost $349 mln over a decade, CBO says US Senate approves bill to create 66 new federal judgeships US Senate panel advances bipartisan bill to create new judgeships
