Judicial Qualifications in a Partisan Era

Last week, the House passed a bill to create 63 new permanent judgeships. Case backlogs and delays have had many lawmakers saying we need more federal judges. If the bill did become law, President-elect Donald Trump would have 22 new seats to fill. The legislation originally had bipartisan support, but President Joe Biden vowed to veto it, with the support of many Democrats.

In his first term, Trump put more judges in place than almost any president in history. Biden has made his mark too, surpassing that number. As of last week, he had also put more judges of color on the bench than any of his predecessors.

Federal judges almost always serve life terms, meaning each of these picks can have lasting consequences for Americans.

We look back and look ahead at our federal judiciary.

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