It was good to see the news story Thursday that the federal courthouse in Fresno has a full staff of magistrate judges. But that does not make up for the inaction of Congress in authorizing more judges for California's Eastern District.
The recent ceremonies for the magistrates help part of the federal court process, but it does not relieve the crushing caseload of the district judges.
As was pointed out in Thursday's Bee, the Fresno courthouse still has just three U.S. District Court judges. Seven more judges are needed for the district. The judges would be divided between the Fresno and Sacramento courthouses.
Bills in Congress to authorize the judges have been stalled by politics. Unfortunately, the pettiness of the political system in Washington, D.C., has a direct impact on the ability of the federal court in Fresno to dispense justice.
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