[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1771 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1771

To authorize additional district judges for the district court for the 
                    eastern district of California.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                 May 31 (legislative day, May 30), 2023

  Mr. Padilla introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize additional district judges for the district court for the 
                    eastern district of California.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Creating Additional Seats to Ease 
Legally Overburdened Adjudicators' Dockets Act of 2023'' or the ``CASE 
LOAD Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The United States District Court for the Eastern 
        District of California is the Federal trial court for 34 
        counties, including 5 of the fastest-growing cities in 
        California, serving a population of approximately 8,400,000.
            (2) The United States District Court for the Eastern 
        District of California is one of the largest judicial districts 
        in the country, with approximately 8,400,000 residents and over 
        87,000 square miles of land. Yet, there are only 6 permanent 
        judgeships, with 1 upcoming vacancy pending a nomination 
        elevating a sitting district judge.
            (3) Based on the 2019 census data, the ratio of authorized 
        district judgeships to population was 1:1,362,552. The central 
        district of California has the next highest ratio in the State, 
        nearly \1/2\ the size, with 1:694,323.
            (4) As of June 2022, the total pending cases per judgeship 
        in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of 
        California was 1,308, over 2.6 times larger than the average 
        for all districts within the United States Court of Appeals for 
        the Ninth Circuit. Pending caseloads remain high, and if a new 
        vacancy opens upon the elevation of the district judge, 
        caseloads will once again reach this unsustainable level.

SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL DISTRICT JUDGES FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF 
              CALIFORNIA.

    (a) 2025.--
            (1) Additional judgeships.--On or after January 21, 2025, 
        the President shall appoint, by and with the advice and consent 
        of the Senate, 2 additional district judges for the eastern 
        district of California.
            (2) Technical and conforming amendment.--The table in 
        section 133(a) of title 28, United States Code, is amended by 
        striking the items relating to California and inserting the 
        following:


  ``California:
  Northern.............................  14
  Eastern..............................  8
  Central..............................  27
  Southern.............................  13''.
 

            (3) Effective date.--The amendment made by paragraph (2) 
        shall take effect on January 20, 2025.
    (b) 2027.--
            (1) Additional judgeships.--On or after January 5, 2027, 
        the President shall appoint, by and with the advice and consent 
        of the Senate, 1 additional district judge for the eastern 
        district of California.
            (2) Technical and conforming amendment.--The table in 
        section 133(a) of title 28, United States Code, is amended by 
        striking the items relating to California and inserting the 
        following:


  ``California:
  Northern.............................  14
  Eastern..............................  9
  Central..............................  27
  Southern.............................  13''.
 

            (3) Effective date.--The amendment made by paragraph (2) 
        shall take effect on January 4, 2027.
    (c) 2029.--
            (1) Additional judgeships.--On or after January 21, 2029, 
        the President shall appoint, by and with the advice and consent 
        of the Senate, 2 additional district judges for the eastern 
        district of California.
            (2) Technical and conforming amendment.--The table in 
        section 133(a) of title 28, United States Code, is amended by 
        striking the items relating to California and inserting the 
        following:


  ``California:
  Northern.............................  14
  Eastern..............................  11
  Central..............................  27
  Southern.............................  13''.
 

            (3) Effective date.--The amendment made by paragraph (2) 
        shall take effect on January 20, 2029.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out this Act and the amendments made by this Act, 
including such sums as may be necessary to provide appropriate space 
and facilities for the judicial positions created by this Act and the 
amendments made by this Act.
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