U.S. Courts Presses for More Federal Judges

A shortage of federal judges to resolve copyright, trademark, patent and contractual disputes means judges face "increasingly complex litigation and growing caseloads" and "endless" waits for parties initiating civil actions, U.S. Courts wrote Monday. The federal courts said the number of civil cases pending for more than three years grew from 18,280 on March 31, 2004, to 81,617 on March 31, 2024. The courts said employing magistrate judges, senior judges and visiting judges to reduce case delays is often seen as "Band-Aid measures that are insufficient to resolve case backlogs." The courts urged passage of the Judges Act (S-4149), which would authorize additional U.S. District judges. The bill has passed the Senate and is pending before the House.