District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Reform Act of 2025
Key claim: The District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Reform Act of 2025 would terminate the DC Judicial Nomination Commission and require the President to appoint judges and chief judges of the DC Superior Court and Court of Appeals.
Abstract
(HR5125 · 119th Congress) District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Reform Act This bill terminates the District of Columbia (DC) Judicial Nomination Commission. Currently, the commission recommends to the President nominees for judges for DC’s Superior Court and Court of Appeals, who must then be confirmed by the Senate. The commission also appoints the chief judges for these courts. The bill terminates the commission’s involvement in nominations and requires the President to appoint the chief judges. Latest action (2025-09-18): Received in the Senate.
Why this matters
DC residents lack voting representation in Congress, so changes to how local judges are selected have an outsized effect on their access to due process and self-governance. Eliminating the Judicial Nomination Commission — a merit-based screening body — and shifting full nomination authority (including chief-judge designation) to the President would centralize control over the DC courts that hear the district’s local civil and criminal cases. Supporters frame this as accountability and executive prerogative; critics view it as a reduction of local input and independence in the DC judiciary.