“To enable the Judiciary to continue serving litigants efficiently and effectively, the judicial workforce must be expanded,” a Judicial Conference representative today told Congress –noting that it has been more than two decades since Congress last passed a comprehensive judgeship bill.

Judge Timothy M. Tymkovich, chair of the Judicial Conference Committee on Judicial Resources, appeared before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Bankruptcy and the Courts, to testify on the Article III judgeship needs of the federal Judiciary and the process used to determine judgeship needs.

“Over the last 20 years the Judicial Conference has developed, adjusted, and refined the process for evaluating and recommending judgeship needs in response to both judiciary and congressional concerns,” Judge Tymkovich told the subcommittee.

Every other year, the Conference conducts a survey of the judgeship needs of the courts of appeals and district courts. The latest survey was completed in March 2013 and the Conference has recommended that Congress establish 91 new judgeships in the courts of appeals and district courts. The Conference also recommended that eight existing temporary district court judgeships be converted to permanent status.

“The Conference attempts to balance the need to control growth and the need to seek resources that are appropriate to the Judiciary’s caseload,” Judge Tymkovich said. “In an effort to implement that policy, we have requested far fewer judgeships than the caseload increases and other factors would suggest are now required.”

Nevertheless, many of the current judgeship recommendations reflect needs that have existed since the last omnibus judgeship bill was enacted in 1990.

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