District of Columbia Federal Judicial Officials Residency Equality Act of 2025
The District of Columbia Federal Judicial Officials Residency Equality Act of 2025 would revise the residency requirements for several federal officials serving in the District of Columbia. The bill moves the residency language toward parity with certain New York districts by removing prior DC-specific exemptions and, in some cases, adding a 20-mile residency allowance for officials in or near New York districts. It updates gender-neutral language (e.g., “his or her” instead of “his”) and applies these changes only to individuals appointed after the law’s enactment (no retroactive effect). A potential point of confusion arises for circuit judges because the bill would require residency in the “State for which he or she is appointed,” which could be problematic for positions within the District of Columbia that are not in a state.
Key Points
- 1Circuit Judges: Replaces the DC-specific exemption with a uniform rule that each circuit judge reside in the State for which they are appointed, and updates gendered language to “his or her.”
- 2District Judges: Removes DC-specific language and adjusts wording to use “he or she,” aligning residency references with other districts.
- 3United States Attorneys: Rewrites residency requirement so each U.S. attorney must reside in the district for which appointed; adds an exception allowing Southern District of New York (SDNY) and Eastern District of New York (EDNY) attorneys to reside within 20 miles of their district.
- 4United States Marshals: Allows the marshal for SDNY to reside within 20 miles of the district (matching the NY-area residency latitude).
- 5Clerks: Adjusts the residency-related language by removing a DC-specific reference (“District of Columbia and the”) to simplify the provision.
- 6Effective Date: The changes apply only to individuals appointed after the enactment date; they are not retroactive.