Chief Judge also Begins Term as National Center for State Courts Board Chair 
 
(WASHINGTON)-  DC Court of Appeals Chief Judge Eric T. Washington has been elected President of the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ), a national organization that promotes the interests and effectiveness of state judicial systems by developing policies and educational programs designed to improve court operations. CCJ also acts as the primary representative of the state courts before Congress and federal executive agencies. Chief Judge Washington has also been named Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Center for State Courts, a non-profit organization that serves as the executive staff for the CCJ. 
 
“During my term as President of the Conference of Chief Justices my focus will be on addressing three very important issues facing our justice system,” said Chief Judge Washington. “Those issues are:  securing adequate funding for state courts; ensuring appropriate language access to the courts for persons with limited English proficiency; and promoting pre-trial justice reform that will honor the presumption of innocence while protecting our communities.”    
 
In 1995, President Clinton nominated Eric T. Washington to the DC Superior Court. During his tenure on the Superior Court, Judge Washington presided over more than one hundred criminal trials as well as cases in both the Drug Court and the Domestic Violence Unit. In July 1999, President Clinton appointed Judge Washington to the DC Court of Appeals.  He was named Chief Judge of the DC Court of Appeals just six years later, and his term was renewed in August 2009.  In his role as Chief Judge of the DC Court of Appeals, Washington serves as the chair of the Joint Committee on Judicial Administration, the policy-making body of the DC Courts system. 
 
Chief Judge Washington is a 1976 graduate of Tufts University, and received his law degree from Columbia University in 1979.  He began his legal career as an associate with Fulbright & Jaworski in Houston, Texas. In 1983, Washington relocated to DC to serve as Legislative Director and Counsel to Congressman Michael Andrews of Texas. He subsequently rejoined Fulbright & Jaworski in Washington, specializing in administrative litigation. From 1987 through 1989, Chief Judge Washington served first as Special Counsel and then Principal Deputy at the Office of Corporation Counsel (now called the Office of the DC Attorney General), where he was responsible for providing all legal services to the government of the District of Columbia. From 1990 until he took the bench, Chief Judge Washington was a partner with Hogan & Hartson. 
 
Chief Judge Washington has been active in many professional, civic and charitable organizations and currently serves on the Board of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington Foundation.