Biden Vetoes Bipartisan Bill in Order to Block Trump from Making Additional Judicial Appointments
On Monday, President Joe Biden vetoed a proposal that aimed to create 66 new federal district judgeships, citing concerns about the “hurried action” taken by the House. He stated that the legislation left unresolved issues regarding the lifetime appointments.
The proposed measure would have introduced the judgeships gradually over more than a decade, allowing appointments to be spread across three presidential administrations and six different Congresses. This staggered approach was designed to ensure neither political party could gain an unfair advantage in shaping the federal judiciary.
The Democratic-majority Senate had unanimously approved the legislation in August. However, the Republican-controlled House only moved forward with it after Donald Trump secured re-election to a second presidential term in November.
The White House had signaled earlier that Biden was prepared to veto the legislation.
“The House of Representatives’ hurried action fails to address critical questions within the bill, particularly concerning the allocation of new judgeships,” Biden noted in a statement. He added, “Neither the House nor the Senate has sufficiently examined how senior status judges and magistrate judges impact the need for additional judgeships.”
Biden emphasized that the “efficient and effective administration of justice” requires a more thorough study of these issues before permanent judgeships are created.
He also pointed out that the legislation proposed new judgeships in states with unfilled judicial vacancies, suggesting that “judicial economy and caseload concerns” might not be the primary reasons for the bill’s passage.
“For these reasons, I am vetoing this bill,” Biden declared, effectively ending its chances in the current Congress. Overriding the veto would require a two-thirds majority in both chambers, but the House vote did not meet that threshold.
Organizations representing judges and lawyers had pushed for the legislation, arguing that the lack of new judgeships has led to significant delays in resolving cases and raised serious concerns about access to justice.
Republican Senator Todd Young of Indiana criticized Biden’s veto, calling it a “misguided decision” and stating it exemplifies why “Americans are counting down the days until President Biden leaves the White House.”
Young also referenced Biden’s recent decision to grant his son, Hunter Biden, a full pardon for federal gun and tax charges. “The president seems more committed to using his office to benefit family members who received due process than to help the millions of ordinary Americans waiting years for their own due process,” Young said. He added, “Biden’s legacy will be ‘pardons for me, no justice for thee.’”