Biden's Veto Halts Historic Expansion of Federal Judiciary

President Joe Biden vetoed a bill that proposed adding 66 federal judges across 25 district courts. Despite bipartisan support initially, Biden expressed concerns about the need for more study before creating permanent judgeships. The veto comes amid political tensions over new judicial appointments.

On Monday, President Joe Biden exercised his veto power against legislation aimed at adding 66 judges to federal courts across the United States, halting what would have been the largest expansion of the judiciary since 1990. The JUDGES Act, initially backed by members of both parties, sought to alleviate growing case backlogs by introducing new judges in 25 federal district courts across 13 states, with appointments staggered every two years until 2035.

Numerous judges appointed by presidents from both parties had publicly called for the measure, citing a 30% increase in federal caseloads since the last judicial expansion. However, in a message to the Senate, Biden emphasized the need for further study of the allocation and necessity of these positions before making such judgeships permanent.

While the bill secured the approval of the Democratic-led Senate in August, it faced delays in the Republican-led House. After Donald Trump's election victory on November 5, the House moved to a vote, triggering accusations from Democrats that Republicans had undermined the bill's original intent by scheduling the vote only after determining who would appoint the first set of judges.

(With inputs from agencies.)