WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar, Ph.D. (TX-28) helped pass the Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved (JUDGES) Act of 2024, which will add 4 district court judgeships in the Southern District of Texas as well as 6 district court judgeships in the Western District of Texas.  

“Today, I was pleased to help pass the JUDGES Act,” said Dr. Cuellar, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee. “Through this legislation, 63 permanent district court judgeships will be created over the course of the next 10 years. Texas will be the second largest recipient of judgeships in the country with a total of 13. These additions will ease the stress on our backlogged courts in Texas and allow our courts to hear more cases in a timely manner.”  

The JUDGES Act would add: 

• A total of 63 permanent district court judgeships across the country  

• 13 district court judgeships across Texas 

• 4 district court judgeships in the Southern District of Texas  

• 6 district court judgeships in the Western District of Texas. 

As of March 2023, the Texas federal district court system has a backlog of 14,501 civil cases and 16,436 criminal cases. This legislation is critical to improving the efficiency of Texas courts, as they have some of the heaviest caseloads in the country. The JUDGES Act will allow more cases to be heard by district courts, directly addressing the issue of our backlogged courts.  

The JUDGES Act also addresses the need for comprehensive district court judgeship legislation; the last legislation related to district court judgeships was passed in 2003.  

This legislation acts on the 2023 report data provided by the Judicial Conference of the United States, a nonpartisan policymaking body for federal courts. They recommended the addition of these 66 district court judgeships to address overburdened dockets.  

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