President Biden followed through on his threat and on Monday vetoed a bipartisan bill to add 66 new judges to federal courts that were viewed as understaffed.
Biden claimed the bill was “too rushed” to get congressional approval — but some observers said he was primarily concerned about appointees who would hold positions once President-elect Donald Trump is in office. May be able to do.
The JUDGES Act would have gradually increased the number of federal judges in 13 states by 2035 in the largest US judiciary expansion since the 1990s.
“The House of Representatives’ hasty action fails to resolve important questions in the law, particularly how new judgeships are allocated,” Biden, 82, said in a statement on his veto on Monday.
“Neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate have fully explored how the work of senior status judges and magistrate judges affects the need for new judgeships.”
Biden had already done threatened to bow down His veto power, warning that he would take this step just two days before the legislation is approved in the GOP-led House on December 12.
There was bipartisan support for the measure, and several judges appointed from both parties publicly supported the bill, noting how their caseloads have increased by more than 30% over the past three decades.
Under the proposed act, new judges would be added to 25 federal district courts in six phases on a two-year basis until 2035.
The system of adding new judges on a staggered basis was intended to address fears that the benefits of expansion would be taken over by a single president or party, a long-standing sticking point in efforts to strengthen the federal judiciary.
Biden did not mention Trump by name in his veto, but some observers speculated that the incoming president’s return to the White House was in danger.
The Democratic-led Senate supported the measure in August, but the House did not vote it up until after Trump’s victory on November 5.
By that time, some House Democrats were concerned that Trump would potentially be in a position to make appointments after January. But the bill still managed to be passed in the lower house 236 to 173 votes171 Democrats and two Republicans opposed.
Congress would need a two-thirds majority in both houses to override Biden’s veto. The House, for one, was clearly well short of that limit.
Biden has Only a dozen vetoes were issued During his entire presidency, the most since Bill Clinton.
On Monday, Biden also signed the $895 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), despite liberal concerns over provisions restricting the use of those funds. Provide transgender surgery on children,
The outgoing president outlined his strong opposition to the anti-transgender provision of the NDAA, but also praised other parts of the legislation, such as enhanced benefits for military service members, such as a 4.5% pay raise.
“This provision targets a group based on that group’s gender identity and interferes with parents’ roles in determining the best care for their children,” Biden said of the transgender portion.
“No service member should have to decide between their family’s health care access and the call to serve the nation.”
(TagstoTranslate)Politics(T)US News(T)Donald Trump(T)Joe Biden(T)Judges(T)Veto(T)White House
