Article III Judicial Independence Act of 2024

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10443 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                               H. R. 10443

To amend title 28, to provide for a district court for the district of 
                     the Northern Mariana Islands.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 17, 2024

  Mr. Sablan introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 28, to provide for a district court for the district of 
                     the Northern Mariana Islands.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Article III Judicial Independence 
Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. NEW JUDICIAL DISTRICT.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 5 of title 28, United States Code is 
amended by inserting after section 114 the following:
``Sec. 114a. Northern Mariana Islands
    ``The Northern Mariana Islands constitutes one judicial district. 
Court shall be held at Saipan.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for such chapter is 
amended by inserting after the item pertaining to section 114 the 
following:

``114a. Northern Mariana Islands.''.

SEC. 3. CONVERSION OF EXISTING COURT AND JUDGE.

    (a) Court.--For purposes of establishing the district court under 
section 114a of title 28, United States Code, the facilities and 
property of the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands under 
section 1 of the Act of November 8, 1977 (48 U.S.C. 1821) shall be 
converted to the use of the court under such section 114a.
    (b) Judge.--The judge for the District Court for the Northern 
Mariana Islands under section 1 of the Act of November 8, 1977 (48 
U.S.C. 1821), as of the date of enactment of this Act shall be deemed 
to have been appointed as the judge for the district court for the 
Northern Mariana Islands under section 114a of title 28, United States 
Code. Such judge shall hold office during good behavior, pursuant to 
section 134 of title 28, United States Code.
    (c) Repeal.--Section 1 of the Act of November 8, 1977 (48 U.S.C. 
1821) is repealed.

SEC. 4. JUDGES IN TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS.

    Section 373 of title 28, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``, the District Court 
        of the Northern Mariana Islands,''; and
            (2) in subsection (e), by striking ``, the District Court 
        of the Northern Mariana Islands,''.

SEC. 5. APPLICABILITY.

    The amendments made by this Act shall not affect the tenure of 
office or right to continue to receive salary after resignation, 
retirement, or failure of reappointment of any district judge for the 
district of the Northern Mariana Islands who is in office on the date 
of enactment of this Act.
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