Congressional bill could add third Idaho federal district court judge

The James A. McClure Federal Building in Boise is the largest of Idaho’s federal courthouses. (Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun)

Under a bill advancing in Congress, Idaho could receive a third federal district judge. 

U.S. Rep Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, announced Wednesday he has co-sponsored The Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved Act of 2024, dubbed the JUDGES Act, which his office says will add “critically needed federal judgeships to resolve currently understaffed and backlogged courts.”

Mike Simpson was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1999. (Courtesy of Congressman Mike Simpson’s office)

In 2021, the Associated Press reported Idaho had the fewest federal judges of any state. 

Congress approved Idaho’s second federal district judgeship in 1954, when Idaho’s population was around 600,000 people. As one of the fastest-growing states in recent years, Idaho is now home to over 1.8 million people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“As Idaho’s population grows, so does the number of court cases,” Simpson said in a news release. “Adding a third district judgeship will reduce backlogs and ensure Idahoans have their cases addressed in a reasonable and timely manner. It is long overdue for Idaho to have a third district judge to meet these needs, and I look forward to seeing this critical legislation get across the finish line.”

The bill would create 63 permanent judgeships across the country, in six phases over a decade starting in 2025, Simpson’s office said. 

The U.S. Senate passed the JUDGES Act in August. 

Simpson sponsored several recent bills that would’ve added a third Idaho federal judgeship, like a bill introduced earlier this year, with U.S. Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho, that would add a new Idaho federal district judge and two more Colorado federal judges, and another bill introduced last year.

In 2023, Simpson sponsored a bill to split the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which is the largest federal circuit court based on geography, population, the number of federal judges and the volume of litigation. The Ninth Circuit includes Idaho, along with all states along the U.S. west coast, Alaskas, Hawaii and several other states.