Biden delivers on threat to veto bill to expand U.S. judiciary
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Biden Vetoes Bipartisan Bill to Add Federal Judgeships
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The Facts
US Pres. Joe Biden on Monday vetoed legislation that would have added 66 new federal district judgeships across 25 courts in 13 states. This would have been the first major judiciary expansion since 1990.
The JUDGES Act had passed unanimously in the Democratic-led Senate in August, but wasn't passed until December by the Republican-controlled House. Biden threatened a veto based on the House waiting until after Pres.-elect Donald Trump's win in the Nov. 5 election.
The Spin
Republican narrative
This is partisan politics at its worst. Biden is denying relief to the country's severely understaffed courts. Legislators and organizations from both sides of the political aisle agree that this expansion is critically needed. But Biden appears more concerned with denying judgeships from his political rival Pres.-elect Trump than helping the country.
Democratic narrative
The only ones playing politics with the legislation are the Republicans, who held off on passing it in the House until they knew their party would control the White House. This is no longer a bipartisan bill — it's a gift to Trump to further give the judiciary a conservative bias that won't dole out justice equally.
