{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.moody.senate.gov/press-releases/senator-moody-a-former-judge-files-legislation-to-scrap-swampy-outdated-restriction-and-clean-up-some-federal-d-c-circuit-courts/", "Senator Moody\u2014a Former Judge\u2014Files Legislation to Scrap Swampy Outdated Restriction and Clean Up Some Federal D.C. Circuit Courts", "2026-09-22", "2026", "2026-09", "Republican", "Senate", "FL", "Ashley Moody", "M001244", "www.moody.senate.gov", "moody", "https://www.moody.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C.\u2014Senator Ashley Moody, a former circuit judge, is filing legislation to clean up two federal courts in Washington, D.C. Senator Moody\u2019s Better Bench Act would allow nominees and active judges on the Court of Federal Claims and the Federal Circuit \u2013 both courts with nationwide jurisdiction \u2013 to reside anywhere in the United States by doing away with an outdated residency requirement that limits service to those in the D.C. area. Senator Moody is joined in this bipartisan effort by Senator Chris Coons of Delaware.\n\n\u201cFor a court that covers the entire country, we should be considering nominating judges from everywhere in America based on merit\u2014not their proximity to the D.C. bubble. My Better Bench Act removes an outdated residency requirement to expand the pool of qualified Americans who can serve and allows our courts to be a better reflection of the nation as a whole,\u201d said Senator Ashley Moody.\n\n\u201cAmericans deserve the best, most qualified judges, especially in areas like intellectual property law where expertise is key to understanding complex cases and fairly deciding the future of many entrepreneurs\u2019 businesses,\u201d said Senator Chris Coons. \u201cFor too long, we have limited the pool of judges available to take on the toughest IP and federal contract cases to those willing to uproot their lives and move to Washington, D.C. No longer. This bipartisan bill ensures that courts of national jurisdiction can draw from a pool of national talent.\u201d\n\nBACKGROUND:\n\nThe Federal Circuit\u2019s residency requirement is substantially more restrictive than those governing the regional courts of appeals. While judges on the regional circuits generally may reside anywhere within their circuits once each state is represented by at least one active judge, judges on the Federal Circuit and the Court of Federal Claims must reside within 50 miles of Washington, D.C. despite both courts having nationwide jurisdiction.\n\nSenator Moody\u2019s Better Bench Act:\n\nRemoves the current requirement that judges on the Federal Circuit and the Court of Federal Claims reside within 50 miles of the District of Columbia;\n\nAuthorizes the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts to ensure that judges that reside outside of the Washington D.C. area have adequate facilities in or near their home districts.\n\nFor bill text, click here.\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-09-23T09:45:16Z", "2026-09-23T09:46:14Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.moody.senate.gov/press-releases/senator-moody-a-former-judge-files-legislation-to-scrap-swampy-outdated-restriction-and-clean-up-some-federal-d-c-circuit-courts/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7972638122737408, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}