Sponsors (2)
Ends the District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission and transfers the Commission’s judge-selection duties to the President for covered D.C. judicial appointments made after the law takes effect. It removes the Commission from the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, updates related Home Rule Act and D.C. Code provisions, deletes the table-of-contents entry for the Commission, and makes the changes apply to appointments made on or after enactment.
Amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act by striking section 434 (sec. 1–204.34, D.C. Official Code), thereby terminating the District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission.
Amend section 431(b) of the Home Rule Act (sec. 1–204.31(b), D.C. Official Code) by replacing the phrase "the District of Columbia Judicial Nominating Commission established by section 434" with "the President" for designation of chief judges.
Amend section 433(a) of the Home Rule Act (sec. 1–204.33(a), D.C. Official Code) by striking the clause that required the President to nominate from a list recommended by the District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission and inserting "The President shall nominate,".
Amend section 433(b) of the Home Rule Act (sec. 1–204.33(b), D.C. Official Code) by adding the word "and" at the end of paragraph (3).
Amend section 433(b) by striking paragraph (4) and redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph (4).
Last progress September 18, 2025 (4 months ago)
Introduced on September 18, 2025 by John Neely Kennedy
Primary effects fall on the District of Columbia’s judicial appointment framework and stakeholders who participate in or are affected by that framework. The D.C. Judicial Nomination Commission will cease to exist as a statutory body, ending its formal role in screening and recommending candidates. District judges, judicial candidates, and local stakeholders (including residents who rely on the local judiciary) will see the selection pathway change: duties previously implemented in part through a local commission are moved to the President under the amended statutory text. Local government and D.C. officials lose a statutory mechanism for local involvement in certain judicial appointment steps, which reasonably could alter the balance between local input and federal control in the selection process. The legislation does not appropriate funds or create new programmatic requirements; its consequences are administrative and political. The change applies to appointments made on or after enactment, so near-term transitions will focus on adapting application and selection procedures and updating forms and references in the D.C. Code and administrative practice.
Updated 11 hours ago
Last progress September 18, 2025 (4 months ago)
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.