Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Young Kim (CA-40) joined Rep. Darrell Issa (CA-48) to introduce the bipartisan Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved (JUDGES) Act to address judicial shortages in California and across the nation.
The JUDGES Act would:
- Create 63 permanent district court judgeships over the next decade, including nine in the Central District of California;
- Require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to evaluate and provide recommendations on the efficiency and effectiveness of federal court activities and federal agencies’ need for detention space and any challenges in acquiring sufficient detention space; and,
- Require the Judicial Conference of the United States to make its biennial judicial seat recommendations publicly available.
“Delays in court cases due to understaffing have led to serious public concerns and distrust of our justice system” said Rep. Kim. “I’m proud to join Rep. Issa to introduce the JUDGES Act to add more judges, avoid delays, and ensure a transparent, effective U.S. justice system that works as intended.”
“A severe shortage of judges eventually delivers an array of complications to our courts – and over time, the problem only grows worse until justice is routinely delayed and therefore denied,” said Rep. Issa. “The JUDGES Act will deliver immediate relief, a longer-term solution, and a sustainable plan that will prevent this crisis from happening again.”
A bipartisan companion bill was led in the Senate by Sens. Young (R-IN) and Coons (D-DE) and passed by unanimous consent.
