A Republican-led House panel has moved forward with a bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, setting the stage for a battle over judicial influence as Donald Trump prepares for a potential second term.
The House Judiciary Committee, in a near party-line 16-11 vote, advanced the JUDGES Act, a proposal identical to one that had previously passed both chambers of Congress but was vetoed by President Joe Biden. The original bill had sailed through the Senate when Democrats held control and later cleared the House with a 236-173 vote. However, Biden blocked it, citing the timing of its passage—after Trump’s election victory—as a key concern.
Representative Darrell Issa, who chairs the Judiciary Committee’s courts panel, argued that the expansion is necessary to alleviate a growing backlog of cases. “This is about ensuring our judiciary can effectively serve the people,” Issa said, urging Democrats who previously backed the bill to reconsider their stance.
But the political reality has shifted. Democrats, wary of handing Trump the opportunity to appoint dozens of new federal judges, are now resisting the measure. Representative Jamie Raskin, the committee’s ranking Democrat, acknowledged the need for more judges but refused to support a bill that could further entrench conservative dominance in the courts. “We’re not going to be party to another court-packing scheme,” he declared.
Trump appointed 234 judges in his first term, including three Supreme Court justices, cementing a conservative 6-3 majority. Even without the JUDGES Act, he is positioned to shape the judiciary with over 100 additional appointments in a second term.
Despite Issa’s assurances that most new judgeships would be in states where Democratic senators could block appointments through procedural maneuvers, only one Democrat on the committee—Representative Lou Correa of California—broke ranks to support the bill. His state stands to gain 21 new judges over the next decade.
The fight over the judiciary’s future is far from over, as the bill now heads for a full House vote. Whether it can survive another presidential veto—or make it to Trump’s desk—remains to be seen.
