President Joe Biden vetoed a bipartisan bill Monday that proposed adding 66 federal district judgeships over the next decade, citing unresolved questions about judicial needs and allocation. While the Democratic-controlled Senate unanimously passed the measure in August, the Republican-led House introduced it only after Donald Trump’s reelection, prompting accusations of partisan maneuvering.
Biden argued the bill failed to address the impact of senior and magistrate judges on caseloads and criticized its allocation of judgeships in states with unfilled vacancies. “The efficient and effective administration of justice requires these questions to be fully explored before creating life-tenured judgeships,” he said.
Supporters, including judicial organizations, contended the bill was necessary to address case backlogs and improve access to justice. However, Biden’s veto effectively kills the measure for this Congress, as overturning it would require a two-thirds majority in both chambers—a threshold the House vote fell short of.
Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) criticized the veto as a “misguided decision,” accusing Biden of prioritizing personal interests over systemic justice reforms. He referenced Biden’s recent pardon of his son Hunter as emblematic of a presidency that “fails regular Americans.”
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