S. 2854 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Sep 18, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryRemoves DC's judicial nomination commission
Right now, a special commission recommends judges for Washington D.C.'s Superior Court and Court of Appeals, and the Senate confirms them. The commission also picks the chief judges for these courts. This bill would eliminate the commission entirely, letting the President appoint judges and chief judges directly instead.
How it affects you
If you live in Washington D.C. or work in the D.C. court system, this changes how judges get selected. The President would have more direct control over appointments, rather than going through the commission. People outside D.C. won't see much direct impact from this change.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Sep 18, 2025)
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.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionS. 2854
A BILL
District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Reform Act
Sponsor: Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) · Introduced Sep 18, 2025 · Law · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Sep 18, 2025: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.”