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Norton Applauds Senate for Passing Her Bill to Improve Transparency of D.C. Courts, On Way to President’s Desk

November 30, 2016

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said she was grateful that the Senate yesterday passed her bill (H.R. 4419) by unanimous consent to enhance financial disclosure requirements for District of Columbia local court judges and to make other improvements to the D.C. courts, sending it to President Obama for his signature. The House of Representatives passed Norton’s bill by voice vote in September. Norton said she was particularly grateful to Senator James Lankford (R-OK), who sponsored the companion bill (S. 2966) in the Senate, as well as Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) Chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Ranking Member Tom Carper (D-DE), for shepherding her bill through the Senate. In June, HSGAC passed Senator Lankford’s bill, which was cosponsored by Senators Johnson, Carper, and Cory Booker (D-NJ). The bill makes the financial requirements for D.C. court judges similar to the disclosure requirements already set for federal judges. In 2014, the D.C. courts were given a failing grade by a Center for Public Integrity survey for the courts’ judicial financial disclosure rules. Under the Home Rule Act of 1973, Congress has the exclusive authority to regulate the organization and jurisdiction of the D.C. courts.

“I am grateful to the Senate for passing this important bill, which will bring much-needed financial transparency and other improvements to the D.C. courts,” Norton said. “The public deserves to have complete and appropriate information on the finances of judges charged with upholding justice in our city. I look forward to President Obama signing my bill into law.”

The bill includes four provisions to improve the operations of the D.C. courts: authorizes the use of magistrate judges to serve in the Probate Division; grants the D.C. courts authority to accept credit cards, other forms of electronic funds transfer, and checks; increases the jurisdictional amount of the Small Claims and Conciliation Branch of the D.C. Superior Court from $5,000 to $10,000; and allows chief judges of the Superior Court and the Court of Appeals to delegate authority to approve certain reimbursement for vouchers.