U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Lesko has introduced a House bill to add four more judgeships to the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. According to a press release, the bill was supported by the rest of the Republican House delegation. Reps. Andy Biggs, Paul Gosar, DDS, and David Schweikert helped introduce the legislation, and it is a House Companion to S. 3321, which was introduced by Kyrsten Sinema and Martha McSally. In February, McSally commented, “Arizona’s expanding population means it is overdue for more new federal judgeships than nearly anywhere in the country. Although Arizonans should be proud of the growing number of Americans who choose to call our state home, our federal judges are burdened with heavy caseloads that hinder their ability to effectively do their jobs.”
Congressman Lesko commented, “Arizona is one of the fastest growing states in the nation, but unfortunately, our federal courts have not kept up. Currently, the district of Arizona has over 800 filings per judgeship, which is simply unacceptable. This legislation is critical to addressing the needs of all Arizonans and clearing up the backlog in our federal courts.”
Lesko also posted on her Twitter page regarding the bill.
📃I am proud to introduce legislation with my colleagues @RepAndyBiggsAZ, @RepGosar, and @RepDavid to add four judgeships to the U.S. District Court District of Arizona to clear the backlog in our federal courts and better address Arizona’s needs. https://t.co/BirJWWrm0P
— Congresswoman Debbie Lesko (@RepDLesko) August 26, 2020
“This much-needed legislation will help the federal judiciary in Arizona maintain a strong and reliable operational infrastructure. My colleagues across the Arizona delegation understand this need and I am honored to join them in this effort, said Congressman Biggs.
In March 2019, the Judicial Conference of the United States recommended that four additional judgeships be created. They also recommended converting a temporary court judgeship into a permanent post for the district of Arizona. Part of the recommendation to Congress, stated that they had identified “any courts that might have the most urgent need for new judgeships. The courts are considered, by the Conference, to have extraordinarily high and sustained workloads. In its most recent recommendations, the Conference identified six U.S. district courts it considers to have the most urgent need for new judgeships to be authorized by Congress.”
