Federal Judges Seek 71 Additional Judgeships

The Judicial Conference of the U.S. is calling for 69 additional U.S. District Court judges and two extra U.S. Court of Appeals judges -- both in the 9th Circuit -- to handle a growing caseload problem. It said Tuesday that District Court filings increased 30% since 1990, when the last comprehensive judgeship bill was enacted, while the number of authorized District Court judgeships is up only 4% since 1991. The number of federal civil cases pending more than three years grew from 18,280 on March 31, 2004, to 81,617 on March 31, 2024, it added. The Judicial Conference recommendation doesn't include additional federal judges in Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C.