Sponsor
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Representative · D-DC
Representative · D-DC
The bill speeds and clarifies how D.C. judicial vacancies are filled—reducing vacancies and procedural friction—while shifting and concentrating appointment power away from traditional Senate confirmation and introducing a fast federal blocking mechanism, trading increased administrative speed for reduced legislative oversight and greater risk of politicization and legal uncertainty.
D.C. residents, courts, and taxpayers will see vacancies filled faster because the President can directly appoint D.C. judges under the new process, reducing prolonged vacancies and improving case processing and access to justice.
Pending nominees and future appointees gain legal clarity and continuity—nominations pending at enactment remain viable and the Act's procedural rules apply uniformly going forward—reducing confusion about timing and transition for D.C. court appointments.
Congress has a formal, time-limited (30‑day) mechanism to block a D.C. judicial appointment, which increases a rapid federal oversight check and forces quicker congressional action, reducing prolonged uncertainty about whether an appointee will be accepted.
D.C. residents and taxpayers lose a key layer of legislative oversight because the traditional Senate advice-and-consent check on judicial appointments is removed, weakening transparency and accountability for who sits on the bench.
Congress’s new ability to delay or block appointments can leave D.C. courts short-staffed or create gaps on the bench, slowing case processing and access to justice for local residents.
The combination of removing Senate confirmation while adding a quick federal blocking mechanism concentrates appointment-related political power and risks politicizing D.C. judicial selections, potentially impacting impartiality of the bench.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Replaces Presidential nomination and Senate confirmation for D.C. court judges with appointment that becomes effective after a 30-day congressional disapproval window.
Official title: To amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to provide for the automatic appointment of judges to the District of Columbia courts without the advice and consent of the Senate, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 18, 2026 by Eleanor Holmes Norton · Last progress June 18, 2026
Replaces the current Presidential nomination and Senate confirmation process for judges of the District of Columbia courts with an automatic-appointment regime subject to a short congressional disapproval window. The bill requires notice of an appointment to congressional leaders, makes appointments effective after a 30-calendar-day period unless Congress passes a joint resolution disapproving the appointment under expedited procedures, and supplies transition rules for nominees pending on enactment. The measure also updates cross-references and wording in the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, authorizes the Judicial Nomination Commission to appoint in certain circumstances where the President fails to act, and makes the changes applicable to appointments made on or after enactment (with deemed transmissions for pending nominees).