# 119-hr-5125: District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Reform Act of 2025

119-hr-5125, District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Reform Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Sessions, Pete [R-TX-17] (R-TX); status passed_house (as of 2026-07-15).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5125
- As of: 2026-07-15
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-5125
- Congress: 119
- Title: District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Reform Act of 2025
- Status: passed_house
- Introduced: 2025-09-04
- Sponsor: Rep. Sessions, Pete [R-TX-17] (R-TX)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Law
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-07-15

## Summary

**Shifts appointment power for D.C. judges to the President.** This bill would terminate the District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission and let the President nominate judicial vacancies and designate chief judges without relying on commission-recommended lists. - District residents: Removes the Commission that had a formal role in recommending nominees, changing how local input reaches judicial selections. - Judges and nominees: The President could nominate candidates for vacancies without reference to a Commission list. The statutory judge-qualification text is altered to remove the Commission's appointment reference. - Chief judges and appointments: The President would become the sole authority to designate chief judges for D.C. courts. The changes apply to appointments made on or after the date of enactment.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Rep. Higgins, Clay [R-LA-3] (R-LA), 2025-09-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Wilson, Joe [R-SC-2] (R-SC), 2025-09-16T00:00:00.000Z

## Votes

| Date | Chamber | Question | Result | Yea | Nay |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-09-17T00:00:00.000Z | house | On Passage | Passed | 218 | 211 |

## Provisions PRIA read

- President would pick DC judges directly: mixed, low. If enacted, this bill would end the DC Judicial Nomination Commission. The President would nominate DC judges without using commission-provided lists. The President would also choose chief judges. The bill would remove commission references from judge qualification rules. These changes would apply…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-6644: 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-9298: Stopping Harmful and Outrageous Torts Act
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-21: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act
- 119-hr-1181: Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-5125 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5125)

## Related
- [119-hr-6644: 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6644)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-9298: Stopping Harmful and Outrageous Torts Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9298)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-21: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-21)
- [119-hr-1181: Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1181)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5125 (as of 2026-07-15).