The good news is that the immigration reform bill that passed in the Senate last Thursday authorizes three new Eastern District judgeships. The last successful legislation to add new federal judges passed in 2002. Bills to increase the number of judges in the overloaded Eastern District have failed in several Congresses, but the Daily Journal reports that adding judgeships to the immigration reform bill may prove to be a better strategy. The bill proposes eight new district-judge slots, with five going to districts bordering Mexico, while other provisions of the Senate bill call for increased border and immigration law enforcement. Immigration cases continue to comprise over a quarter of criminal case filings in the EDCA.
The bad news is we have to rely on the Republican controlled house to do something constructive instead of just repeatedly voting to repeal ObamaCare.