Indy Standard

U.S. Senator Todd Young from Indiana expressed disappointment following President Joe Biden's veto of the Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved (JUDGES) Act of 2024. The legislation, introduced by Young, aimed to tackle judicial emergencies and shortages nationwide.

Senator Young criticized the President's decision, stating, "This misguided decision is just another example of why Americans are counting down the days until President Biden leaves the White House. Issuing this veto is partisan politics at its worst." He further emphasized that the bill had strong bipartisan support and would have created 66 judgeships over three presidential terms to address the judicial backlog.

Young accused President Biden of prioritizing personal interests over national concerns: "The President is more enthusiastic about using his office to provide relief to his family members who received due process than he is about giving relief to the millions of regular Americans who are waiting years for their due process. Biden’s legacy will be ‘pardons for me, no justice for thee.’"

The JUDGES Act was designed to increase federal district judges in regions with high workloads, including Indiana's Southern District. It passed Congress with bipartisan backing in both chambers and proposed creating judgeships based on recommendations from a nonpartisan 2023 Judicial Conference report.

Additionally, it included measures for transparency and access to justice in high-need areas. Congress has not authorized new district judgeships comprehensively since 1990 when then-Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Joe Biden supported a bill that created 85 new positions under President George H.W. Bush. Targeted legislation between 1999 and 2003 added another 34 district court judgeships.

Senator Young initially introduced this legislation in 2020 and reintroduced it twice before urging President Biden through an op-ed to sign it into law.