Sponsor
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Representative · D-DC
The bill clarifies residency rules for federal judges and clerks and creates a limited 20‑mile exception for certain New York prosecutors/marshal to aid recruitment, trading clearer and more flexible staffing in high‑cost areas for potential relocation burdens, narrower candidate pools in some districts, and unequal treatment between districts.
Federal judges and court clerks will have clearer, gender‑inclusive residency and drafting rules, reducing ambiguity about appointment eligibility.
U.S. Attorneys in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the SDNY U.S. Marshal may live up to 20 miles outside their district, easing recruitment and retention in high‑cost/commuter regions.
Narrower residency requirements could reduce the applicant pool for some judicial and clerk positions, making it harder to fill roles in districts where qualified candidates live outside the new limits.
Some current incumbents or future appointees may need to relocate because DC exceptions were removed, imposing personal disruption and moving costs on affected federal employees.
Creating a 20‑mile exception specifically for New York districts gives unequal residency flexibility across districts, which may be perceived as preferential treatment.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Standardizes and tightens statutory residency rules for federal judges, U.S. Attorneys, and certain U.S. Marshals; applies prospectively to new appointees.
Representative · D-DC
Changes residency rules for certain federal judicial officers and related law-enforcement officials so most must live in the state or district they serve. The bill removes an explicit District of Columbia exception for some judges, updates gendered pronouns, requires U.S. Attorneys to reside in their districts (with a 20-mile exception for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York), and permits the U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of New York to live within 20 miles of that district; the changes apply only to individuals appointed after enactment.
Official title: To amend title 28, United States Code, to change the residency requirements for certain officials serving in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 20, 2025 by Eleanor Holmes Norton · Last progress January 20, 2025