Senate Unanimously Passes Landmark Bill to Add 66 Federal Judgeships

It’s the first time Congress has added judgeships in decades.

Sen. Todd Young (R-Indiana), who introduced the Judges Act of 2024, speaks to reporters in Washington, on March 10, 2020. Samuel Corum/Getty Images

The Senate has passed bipartisan legislation to create dozens of additional judgeships on federal district courts across the United States after a multi-decade dry spell when Congress added no new judges.

The measure, called the Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved (JUDGES) Act of 2024, cleared the upper chamber by unanimous consent on Aug. 1 and now heads to the House for consideration.