District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Reform Act of 2025 in plain language
1: Short title
This section would let the Act be called the "District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Reform Act."
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Reform Act .
2: Termination of District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission
This section would end the District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission. It would do this by striking the section of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act that created the commission (section 434, D.C. Official Code section 1-204.34), so that commission would no longer exist in law. The section also makes several related changes. For choosing chief judges of the D.C. courts under section 431(b) of the Home Rule Act, it would remove the commission's role in that designation and give that role to the President instead, so the President, not the commission, would designate the chief judges. For nominating judges under section 433(a), it would remove the requirement that the President nominate from a list of people recommended by the commission, and remove the exception that referred to section 434(d)(1); the President would instead simply nominate judges directly, without a commission-recommended list. For the qualifications judges must meet under section 433(b), it would add the word "and" at the end of paragraph (3), delete paragraph (4) of that subsection, renumber the current paragraph (5) so it becomes the new paragraph (4), and remove from that renumbered paragraph the words referring to the District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission, so that paragraph would no longer mention the commission. The section would also strike subparagraph (C) of section 11-1528(a)(2) of the D.C. Official Code, so that subparagraph would no longer apply. It would update the table of contents of the D.C. Home Rule Act to remove the listing for section 434. These changes would apply to judicial appointments made on or after the date this Act is enacted.
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2. Termination of District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission (a) Termination The District of Columbia Home Rule Act is amended by striking section 434 (sec. 1–204.34, D.C. Official Code). (b) Conforming amendments relating to appointment of judges (1) Designation of chief judges by President Section 431(b) of such Act (sec. 1–204.31(b), D.C. Official Code) is amended by striking the District of Columbia Judicial Nominating Commission established by section 434 and inserting the President . (2) Appointment by President Section 433(a) of such Act (sec. 1–204.33(a), D.C. Official Code) is amended by striking Except as provided in section 434(d)(1), the President shall nominate, from the list of persons recommended to him by the District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission established under section 434, and inserting The President shall nominate, . (3) Qualifications of judges Section 433(b) of such Act (sec. 1–204.33(b), D.C. Official Code) is amended— (A) by adding and at the end of paragraph (3); (B) by striking paragraph (4) and redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph (4); and (C) in paragraph (4), as so redesignated, by striking or of the District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission . (c) Other conforming amendment Section 11–1528(a)(2), District of Columbia Official Code, is amended by striking subparagraph (C). (d) Clerical amendment The table of contents of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act is amended by striking the item relating to section 434. (e) Effective date The amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to appointments made on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.