The Judicial Conference has called for the creation of additional judgeships -- primarily district court seats in parts of the country plagued by judicial backlogs. The Federal Bar Association has joined the call for more judgeships, and endorsed the JUDGES Act, which would authorize 66 new district court judgeships over the next decade, staggered so as to spread the nominations across presidential administrations.
The Senate passed the JUDGES Act earlier this year, before the August recess. Some hoped it would pass before the election, when it was still unknown who would get the first opportunity to fill new seats, but that did not happen.
Earlier this week, the FBA and Federal Judges Association issued a statement urging adoption of the JUDGES Act. It reads in part:
