A Washington, D.C., judge, who released a gun suspect on house arrest who was later involved in the killing of an 11-year-old boy, was given a new 15-year term last week, drawing criticism from a member of the select commission charged with reviewing the judge’s record.

His renomination highlighted the consequences of a bureaucratic system in the nation’s capital that frequently allows unelected commissioners to extend the limited terms of D.C. judges indefinitely, denying the president the ability to nominate replacements and the Senate the ability to confirm them.