Rep. Troy E. Nehls’ Op-Ed in The Dallas Morning News: New judgeships are needed to reduce backlogs and ensure timely justice

WASHINGTON, D.C.-Today,Congressman Troy E. Nehls (R-TX-22) authored an op-ed for The Dallas Morning News, discussing the Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved (JUDGES) Act of 2024, legislation he co-led alongside Representatives Darrell Issa (R-CA-48), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-12), and Hank Johnson (D-GA-04). The bipartisan JUDGES Act of 2024 would add critically needed federal judgeships to resolve currently understaffed and backlogged courts.

The Dallas Morning News

By Rep. Troy E. Nehls

October 16, 2024

"Federal district courts across the country are currently plagued by overwhelming caseloads and multiyear backlogs. These overloads are causing Americans, including Texans, to be denied access to our justice system, impeding the constitutional guarantee of a speedy trial in criminal cases and making it difficult to resolve civil disputes. This situation is totally unacceptable and is incumbent upon Congress to rectify.

Our nation's federal court system consists of three levels: district courts, circuit courts and the Supreme Court of the United States. Across the 50 states and U.S. territories, we have 94 district courts with 677 authorized judgeships. Texas has four federal district courts.

From 2000 to 2020, America's population grew by approximately 50 million residents. Despite the drastic increase in population, Congress last authorized new district court judgeships in 2002, more than two decades ago, through the 21st Century Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act, in which 11 new federal district judgeships were added.

As of June 30, 2024, our nation's court system has 724,209 pending cases, which don't include misdemeanor criminal cases, according to data compiled by the United States Courts.

The Southern District of Texas alone, headquartered in Houston, has a backlog of 14,737 cases as of June 30, 2024. The Eastern District of Texas is experiencing a backlog of 6,470 cases. Currently, the average time between the filing of a civil suit to a resolution of the case in the Southern District of Texas is 7.6 months. Criminal cases in the Southern District of Texas have an average time of 5.1 months between the filing of the indictment and a resolution of the case. In the Eastern District of Texas, the average time from the filing of a civil suit to a resolution of the case is 7.6 months, and the average time for a criminal case is a stark 23.9 months.

Given these increasingly persistent backlogs in our federal court system, the Judicial Conference, which was created by Congress in 1922 and is the national policymaking body for the federal courts headed by Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, made recommendations to Congress in March 2023 to create 66 new district court judgeships to meet the increased workload demands and alleviate the backlog our justice system faces.

Ultimately, every American should be afforded the administration of justice in a reasonable timeframe, which is exactly why I co-led the U.S. House of Representatives version of the Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved (JUDGES) Act of 2024 alongside Reps. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., and Hank Johnson, D-Ga.

Consistent with recommendations made by the Judicial Conference of the United States, this bipartisan legislation would codify these recommendations in six phases, spanning from 2025 through 2035, across multiple presidential administrations so that no party has an appointment advantage.

This much-needed legislation would significantly address the backlog of cases in our federal district courts by creating 63 permanent judgeships and three temporary judgeships, and by also authorizing additional federal case locations in multiple states, including Texas, to improve access for larger districts.

While I am pleased that the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the JUDGES Act on Aug. 1, there is much more work to be done to get this important legislation across the finish line. When the House returns to session, it is pivotal that our chamber takes up and passes this critical legislation to improve the efficiency of federal district courts nationwide so that Americans, especially Texans, are not denied their constitutional right to a speedy trial or the opportunity to settle their disputes.

I encourage all of my colleagues, especially those who serve alongside me on the House Judiciary Committee, to support this legislation. Let's get it done."

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