Introduction of the District of Columbia Federal Judicial Officials Residency Equality Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the District of Columbia Federal Judicial Officials Residency Equality Act, which would require the federal district court judges, federal circuit court judges, U.S. Attorney, U.S. Marshals and federal court clerk appointed to serve D.C. to reside in D.C. In nearly every other jurisdiction in the United States, such officials are required by federal law to reside in the jurisdiction they have been appointed to serve. The only exceptions are the U.S. Attorney and U.S. Marshal for the Northern Mariana Islands who at the same time are serving in the same capacity in another jurisdiction, and officials appointed to the Southern District of New York and the Eastern District of New York, which are the only districts in different parts of the same city.

The requirement that these federal officials reside in the jurisdiction they serve is related to knowledge of the community and to the effect of decisions. As stated in the official commentary to the Code of Conduct for United States Judges, ``a judge should not become isolated from the society in which the judge lives.'' The same holds true for other federal officials. This bill recognizes that D.C. deserves federal officials with the same understanding and links to the community as Congress has seen fit to require for federal officials in other jurisdictions.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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