Joe Biden is going to try and make life difficult for Trump. He doesn’t want the president-elect to have any sort of success.
And Donald Trump is furious after Biden announces a new plan to undermine his presidency.
Biden to Veto Bipartisan Judgeships Bill, Raising Questions About Timing and Motives
President Biden plans to veto a bipartisan bill aimed at addressing the shortage of federal judges across the United States, White House officials announced Tuesday. The decision has ignited debate about the timing and intent of the legislation, particularly as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office.
The Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved (JUDGES) Act, which passed the Senate unanimously in August, sought to address mounting case backlogs in understaffed federal courts.
Co-sponsored by Democrats and Republicans, the measure would have allowed the next three presidential administrations to appoint 66 federal district judges in states with the most pressing judicial needs.
The White House, however, dismissed the proposal as unnecessary. “While judicial staffing is important to the rule of law, S. 4199 is unnecessary to the efficient and effective administration of justice,” read a statement from the Office of Management and Budget.
It also suggested the bill was politically motivated, claiming, “The bill would create new judgeships in states where Senators have sought to hold open existing judicial vacancies. Those efforts to hold open vacancies suggest that concerns about judicial economy and caseload are not the true motivating force behind passage of this bill now.”
The House is expected to consider the legislation this week, months after it cleared the Senate. The delay has fueled suspicions about the political strategy behind the timing. T
he White House pointed to the recent election results, in which Trump secured a second term, as a potential factor. The statement noted that the bill appeared to be aimed at granting the incoming administration a slew of judicial appointments.
“Hastily adding judges with just a few weeks left in the 118th Congress would fail to resolve key questions in the legislation, especially regarding how the judges are allocated,” the statement continued.
Amid the controversy, Biden, 82, has emphasized his commitment to a peaceful transfer of power, working with Trump, 78, to ensure a smooth transition. Yet tensions have flared as Trump publicly urged Republican senators to block the confirmation of any Democratic judicial nominees during the lame-duck session.
“The Democrats are trying to stack the Courts with Radical Left Judges on their way out the door,” Trump posted on his Truth Social account last month. “Republican Senators need to Show Up and Hold the Line — No more Judges confirmed before Inauguration Day!”
The clash over the JUDGES Act has drawn sharp responses from lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Many Republicans expressed frustration with Biden’s veto threat, viewing it as a missed opportunity to address long-standing judicial shortages.
“President Biden just threatened to veto my JUDGES Act of 2024, which would resolve the judicial crisis that has Americans waiting years for their day in court,” said Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), one of the bill’s co-sponsors, in a post on X.
Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) echoed the sentiment, calling the move deeply disappointing given the bipartisan support the bill received.
However, some Democrats criticized the House’s delay in considering the bill, arguing that it undermined its chances of timely passage.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) voiced his frustrations, stating, “My colleagues and I begged them to take it up. We explained the stakes. They knew that bipartisan support for creating desperately needed new judgeships would only exist if the bill were passed into law before Nov. 5, but they refused.”
As the debate continues, the future of the JUDGES Act remains uncertain, leaving many to question whether judicial reform is being held hostage to political maneuvering.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
