It's difficult enough for Congress to fill vacant judgeships, let alone create new ones in courts that have seen their jurisdictions grow in size. That means federal judges are having to take on more and more cases.

That, in turn, means the wait for a civil trial in some federal courts can stretch for years. On this episode of our podcast, On The Merits, reporters Suzanne Monyak and Tiana Headley talk about what's behind this backlog, and explain how a dispute over a North Carolina judicial nominee could make the problem even worse.

They also talk about a potential solution: a bipartisan bill the Senate recently passed that would create more than 60 new judgeships in courts across the country, but would only allow future presidents to appoint judges to these seats.

Do you have feedback on this episode of On The Merits? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.