A bill to provide that a person closely related to a judge of a court exercising judicial power under article III of the United States Constitution (other than the Supreme Court) may not be appointed as a judge of the same court, and for other purposes.
Public Law 105-300 · S. 1892 · 105th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Bill Clinton (D) on Oct 27, 1998 · Law
Sponsor: Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ)
Cosponsors: None
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Amends the Federal judicial code to prohibit the appointment, as a judge of a court exercising judicial power under article III of the Constitution (other than the Supreme Court), of any person who is related by affinity or consanguinity within the degree of first cousin to any judge who is a member of the same court. Defines "member" as an active judge or one retired in senior status.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 12 actions.
- Oct 27, 1998Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 105-300.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 16, 1998PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 7, 1998FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Coble moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Oct 6, 1998FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- May 21, 1998CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Judiciary Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Judiciary Committee
- Apr 1, 1998CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
- Mar 31, 1998IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.