Good morning, D.C. In today’s newsletter: Judicial nominations, Waymo and a new pitcher for the Nats.
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THE LATEST
Judging by the facts, it looks like the Senate is about to help D.C.
Trending
The upper chamber is soon expected to approve the nominations of six judges for D.C. Superior Court and two for the D.C. Court of Appeals. The nominations moved out of committee last week, and are expected to be voted on before the Senate heads to recess at the end of next week.
Judicial nominations — or the lack thereof — have long been a point of contention between Congress and the District. While Superior Court and the Court of Appeals function as the city’s judiciary, their judges are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The process has been historically sluggish, often sparking complaints from city and court officials about judicial vacancies.
That’s even more of a problem now, as Superior Court saw a 38.5% spike in criminal cases from 2024 to 2025, due in part to the surge of federal agents.
The Senate action will go a long way to addressing existing vacancies, says courts spokesman Doug Buchanan. He tells NOTUS that two of the nine seats on the Court of Appeals are vacant, while there are 13 vacancies — out of 62 total judgeships — in Superior Court.
“But adding judges without providing the operational workforce and infrastructure that supports them limits the effectiveness of that investment,” adds Buchanan, noting that D.C.’s courts are funded by Congress. “Justice depends on an entire system working together.”
DEEP DIVE
D.C.’s disabled residents say they don’t have a reliable form of on-demand transportation. Would Waymo help?
Opinion is split, NOTUS’ Zara Norman reports. At a hearing this month, some blind and deaf residents testified that they’re excited by the possibility of autonomous vehicles in the District. But the bill that would legalize Waymo and other driverless cars in the city has no requirement that those vehicles be wheelchair accessible, sparking concerns in the community.
Waymo told NOTUS that it’s “actively assessing how we will provide an additional fleet of wheelchair accessible vehicles alongside our fully autonomous fleet,” should the company be allowed to operate in the city.
But advocates want a mandate, highlighting the fact that taxi companies in D.C. are required to make 20% of their fleet accessible.
FROM THE DISTRICT
The National Guard is moving in. The federal government will spend $292 million to house thousands of troops in apartments in D.C. over the next year, NOTUS’ Raymond Fernández reports. The contract for 2,000 “apartment-style lodging units” provided by extended-stay company Placemakr is yet another indication that Donald Trump’s deployment of the Guard is a long-term commitment — this month, its stay was officially extended through 2029.
A change to property taxes? Any D.C. homeowner knows that you pay your property taxes twice a year — in March and September. But a new bill from Ward 1 council member Brianne Nadeau would move D.C. to quarterly payments in an attempt to smooth out the city’s cash flow over the year. Her legislation would also allow the city to explore taxing only the value of the land that a house or building is on, or taxing the land and building at different rates. That approach, she says, could make buying and building in D.C. more attractive.
FROM MARYLAND
Montgomery County has acquired White’s Ferry in a $1.5 million deal, WTOP reports. But restarting the service, which ferried people and their vehicles across the Potomac from Poolesville to Leesburg until it shuttered in 2020, would require Virginia officials to strike a similar deal.
D.C. TRIVIA
In the U.S., D.C. residents have the highest per-capita consumption of which beverage?
- Coffee
- Wine
- Gin
Email us your answer — the first reader who gets it right gets a shout-out. The answer will be at the end of the newsletter tomorrow.
SPORTS
The Nationals’ first deadline trade sent infielder Curtis Mead to Boston for left-handed pitcher Connelly Early. The move felt like a clear self-assessment for the new front office and coaching staff, NOTUS’ Jesse Dougherty reports.
For more analysis from Jesse, check out his AMA on r/Nationals from Friday.
LeBron James is a Philadelphia 76er. What a world. NOTUS’ Martenzie Johnson writes that the one thing that may trip up this uber-talented Sixers team is its collection of egos.
What to Watch Today
MLB: Nationals vs. Blue Jays, 6:45 p.m. (MLB.TV)
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The newsletter was produced by Jaden Amos, Michael Errigo and Nikie Johnson. Photo by Kay Nietfeld/AP.
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