I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1853 
To amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to provide for the 
automatic appointment of judges to the District of Columbia courts 
without the advice and consent of the Senate, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 21, 2019 
Ms. NORTON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Oversight and Reform, and in addition to the Committee on 
Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each 
case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 
the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to pro-
vide for the automatic appointment of judges to the 
District of Columbia courts without the advice and con-
sent of the Senate, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘District of Columbia 
Courts Vacancy Reduction Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. AUTOMATIC APPOINTMENT OF JUDGES TO DIS-
TRICT OF COLUMBIA COURTS. 
(a) APPOINTMENTS BY PRESIDENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 433(a) of the Dis-
trict of Columbia Home Rule Act (sec. 1–204.33(a), 
D.C. Official Code) is amended by striking ‘‘the 
President shall nominate’’ and all that follows and 
inserting the following: ‘‘from the list of persons rec-
ommended by the District of Columbia Judicial 
Nomination Commission established under section 
434, the President shall appoint all judges of the 
District of Columbia courts.’’. 
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 433 
of such Act (sec. 1–204.33, D.C. Official Code) is 
further amended— 
(A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘NOMINA-
TION AND’’; 
(B) in subsection (b) in the matter pre-
ceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘nominated 
or’’; 
(C) in paragraph (2) of subsection (b), by 
striking ‘‘his nomination’’ and inserting ‘‘ap-
pointment’’; 
(D) in paragraph (3) of subsection (b), by 
striking ‘‘his nomination’’ and inserting ‘‘ap-
pointment’’; 
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(E) in paragraph (4) of subsection (b), by 
striking ‘‘the President, for such nomination 
and appointment,’’ and inserting ‘‘the President 
for such appointment’’; 
(F) in paragraph (5) of subsection (b), by 
striking ‘‘his nomination’’ and inserting ‘‘ap-
pointment’’; 
(G) in the fifth sentence of subsection (c), 
by striking ‘‘then the President may nominate’’ 
and all that follows and inserting ‘‘the Presi-
dent may reappoint such candidate as judge.’’; 
(H) in the sixth sentence of subsection (c), 
by striking ‘‘not to so nominate such declaring 
candidate, he shall nominate another can-
didate’’ and inserting ‘‘not to so reappoint such 
declaring candidate, the President shall appoint 
another candidate’’; and 
(I) in the seventh sentence of subsection 
(c), by striking ‘‘then the President shall not 
submit to the Senate for advice and consent the 
renomination of the declaring candidate as 
judge’’ and inserting ‘‘the President shall not 
reappoint the declaring candidate as judge’’. 
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(3) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con-
tents of such Act is amended by amending the item 
relating to section 433 to read as follows: 
‘‘Sec. 433. Appointment of judges.’’. 
(b) APPOINTMENTS BY JUDICIAL NOMINATION COM-
MISSION.—Section 434(d)(1) of such Act (sec. 1– 
204.34(d)(1), D.C. Official Code) is amended— 
(1) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘for pos-
sible nomination and appointment’’ and inserting 
‘‘for possible appointment’’; 
(2) in the second sentence, by striking ‘‘more 
than one nominee’’ and inserting ‘‘more than one 
person’’; 
(3) in the third sentence, by striking ‘‘of nomi-
nees’’; and 
(4) in the fourth sentence— 
(A) by striking ‘‘the President fails to 
nominate, for Senate confirmation,’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘the President fails to appoint’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘the Commission shall 
nominate, and with the advice and consent of 
the Senate, appoint’’ and inserting ‘‘the Com-
mission shall appoint’’. 
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