Contact: Alexah Rogge
Alexah.Rogge@mail.house.gov

Congressman Russ Fulcher Introduces Legislation to Address Idaho Judicial Backlog

Congressman Russ Fulcher (ID-01) joined Congressman Mike Simpson (ID-02) to introduce H.R. 214 to address the federal judicial crisis in Idaho. This legislation will direct the President to appoint one additional federal district judge to the district of Idaho, increasing the total to three.

"As the legal community in Idaho well knows, the state of Idaho is facing a federal judicial crisis," said Simpson. "We are one of just three states in the nation with only two federal judge seats for the entire state. This means our federal judges have an extraordinary caseload and a high number of weighted filings per judgeship. As we all know, justice delayed is justice denied, and it is beyond time to authorize another judgeship for Idaho."

The federal district of Idaho has retained two federal district judges since 1954 when the population of the state was at 600,000. As the current population of 1.7 million continues to grow, so do the number of court cases. Since 2003, the nonpartisan Judicial Conference of the United States has consistently recommended that Congress authorize one new permanent district judge in Idaho to keep pace with the increasing population and corresponding caseload.

"I have long advocated for adding an additional judgeship in Idaho because the need is great," added Simpson. "Idahoans deserve a fair and efficient federal court system, and this bill would go a long way towards ensuring their Constitutional access to justice. I am pleased that Congressman Fulcher has already joined me in this effort."

This initiative is a great way to start the new Congress, working alongside my fellow Idahoan, Rep. Simpson to alleviate our state's judicial backlog," commented Congressman Russ Fulcher. "Appointing an additional judge will help to lessen the growing backlog of cases, deliver quicker service to our constituents, and make our judicial system more efficient. This shortage has faced Idaho for far too long, and I am pleased to make this effort one of my first actions in Congress."

H.R. 214 has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee for further consideration.

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