Jerrold Nadler

House Democratic leadership is actively trying to get its members to vote against a once-broadly bipartisan bill that would create dozens of new federal judgeships, Axios has learned.Why it matters: Democrats fear the bill would give President-elect Trump additional opportunities to fill the courts with conservative ideologues.The JUDGES Act would create 63 judgeships over the next 10 years, including 11 in 2025 and another 11 in 2027 – when Trump will be president.Driving the news: In a notice sent to House Democrats on Tuesday evening, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark's (D-Mass.) office said "Democrats are urged to VOTE NO" on the legislation.That means Democratic leadership will send its whip team to actively persuade colleagues to oppose the bill.The notice said the bill "attempts to provide a solution to our backlogged court system," but urged Democrats to be "clear-eyed on what authorizing a significant number of new, empty judgeships means under a future Trump Administration."Clark's office also noted that the Office of Management and Budget said Tuesday that Biden will veto the bill if it passes Congress.Between the lines: The bill passed the Senate unanimously in August, but House Republicans waited until after the election to bring it up for a vote in the lower chamber.Judiciary Committee ranking member Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), who opposes the bill, has argued that Democrats would have widely supported it had it been voted on when the next president was still unknown.Republicans have said there has simply been too much on their plate to vote on the bill before now, while also noting that many of the new judgeships will be in states where Democratic senators will have a say.What to watch: The bill is set to be voted on this week and can pass with a simple majority, meaning Republicans can do it without bipartisan support.Some Democrats in states poised to get new judges argued to Bloomberg last week that the backlog is too much of an issue to put aside for partisan reasons – though that was before the Biden veto threat and the whip effort.With Democrats likely to oppose the bill en masse, Congress is unlikely to muster the necessary two-thirds majority to override Biden's veto.

Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz at a Senate hearing.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Friday formally launched a bid to lead Democrats on the Oversight and Accountability Committee in the next Congress — a powerful seat that will play a prominent role in the party's effort to push back against President Trump in his second term. The move sets up a contest between Ocasio-Cortez [...]

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) will announce Monday whether he is challenging Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) as the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Axios has learned.Why it matters: Should he jump in, it would be the latest in a series of challenges against septuagenarian committee leaders by relatively younger Democrats vowing to put up a more vigorous fight against the Trump administration.Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said Wednesday he is running to unseat Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) as the ranking member of the Natural Resources Committee.Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) formally announced Thursday morning that he is running to unseat Agriculture Committee chair David Scott (D-Ga.).What we're hearing: Raskin has not given any public indication he plans to run, and he is fond of his work on the Oversight Committee, a source familiar with the matter told Axios.Two House Democrats told Axios that Raskin, the 61-year-old current Oversight Committee ranking member, has discussed the idea with colleagues in recent days."I spoke to Jamie and he hadn't made a decision," said one of the lawmakers on Thursday morning.Zoom in: Raskin, a former star Jan. 6 committee member, has faced a strong push to run from colleagues, the source familiar with the matter said.Nadler has been seen by some Democrats as ill-suited to lead the key panel into the Trump administration.Raskin's thinking was first reported by Punchbowl News.Yes, but: Nadler, 77, wouldn't go down without a fight. "I pledge to stand as a bulwark against the MAGA Majority's dangerous agenda," he said in a letter to colleagues on Wednesday announcing his bid for reelection.He added: "As a New Yorker, I have stood up to Donald Trump my entire career."Zoom out: Raskin was a Judiciary member in the 117th Congress, but stepped off last year to serve as House Oversight Committee ranking member while undergoing cancer treatment.Raskin's cancer has since gone into remission, and he has been seen as one of the more energetic Democratic committee leaders over the last two years.Raskin will make his intentions clear in a letter to fellow Democrats, Axios is told.Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional context.

'You have missed the point'

FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies during the House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing for the agency Wednesday.