On August 6, 2013, Chief Judge Eric T. Washington will begin his third consecutive term as the Chief Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals (DCCA).  The Judicial Nomination Commission announced Tuesday Chief Judge Washington’s re-designation after a public notice of application to all DC Court of Appeals judges was issued this past March.  In addition to the written requirements of the application, the Commission “carefully considered public comments…Chief Judge Washington’s experience…leadership abilities, administrative skills, abilities to promote confidence in the Court, his performance over the last four years, and his vision for the Court, including his plans for addressing the challenges facing the Court in the next four years” in reaching its decision.  Upon notifying the Committee of his intent to be reappointed, Chief Judge Washington submitted a Statement of Interest and hosted a forum allowing residents and the public to comment on his previous years of service while sharing his vision for the next four years. 
 
After receiving the news of the Commission’s decision, Chief Judge Washington expressed his gratitude for the support of his DCCA colleagues and members of the DC Bar.  Chief Judge Washington stated that he was confident and energetic about positively contributing “…to the fair administration of justice here in the District…in an effort to improve the court’s ability to resolve disputes peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law.” 
 
Under the leadership of Chief Judge Washington, the DCCA –  

• Initiated a new case management system that allows electronic accessibility to court dockets  
• Consistently reduced time on appeal for cases by greatly reducing case backlog – reduction in median time on appeals: 505 days in 2007 to 353 days in 2012  
• Increased awareness of the role of the Courts in the District through social media and civic education engagement; including holding oral arguments at local law schools
• Implemented a new judicial code of conduct that enhanced the judicial role in providing access to justice. 

 
Among his leadership positions, Chief Judge Washington is the Chair of the Joint Committee on Judicial Administration, the policy-making body of the DC Courts system and also the immediate past President of the Conference of Chief Justices, a national organization that promotes the interests and effectiveness of state judicial systems by developing policies and educational programs designed to improve court operations.  
 
Biography: 
 
The District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Commission designated the Honorable Eric T. Washington to serve a four-year term as Chief Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals beginning on August 6, 2005. His term as Chief Judge was renewed for a second four year term August 2009. 
 
Chief Judge Eric T. Washington was sworn in as an Associate Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals on July 1, 1999. Since his appointment, he has heard and decided hundreds of appeals from the Superior Court and District of Columbia Administrative agencies. He previously served as co-chair of the Strategic Planning Leadership Council for the District of Columbia Courts, and as a member of the Standing Committee on Fairness and Access to the Courts as well as the Access to Justice Commission.   
 
Chief Judge Washington is a 1976 graduate of Tufts University. He received his law degree from the Columbia University School of Law in 1979. He was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 1979 and the District of Columbia Bar in 1985. He is also admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the United States Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, the Fifth Circuit and the Eleventh Circuit. 
 
In 1979, Chief Judge Washington began his legal career as an associate attorney with the law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski in Houston, Texas.  He was engaged in a general labor and employment practice which included handling unfair labor practice cases before the National Labor Relations Board and fair employment cases before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as well as various state and federal courts. 
 
In 1983, Chief Judge Washington relocated to Washington, DC to serve as Legislative Director and Counsel to US Congressman Michael A. Andrews of Texas. He subsequently rejoined Fulbright & Jaworski in Washington, DC, where he resumed a general administrative litigation practice. From 1987 through 1989, Judge Washington served first as Special Counsel to the Corporation Counsel (now called the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia) and later as Principal Deputy Corporation Counsel for the District of Columbia, where he was responsible, along with the Corporation Counsel, for providing all legal services to the Government of the District of Columbia. 
 
From January 1990 to May 1995, Chief Judge Washington was a partner in the law firm of Hogan & Hartson where his practice included a broad range of administrative law and civil litigation matters. Judge Washington left Hogan & Hartson in 1995 when he was appointed to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia as an Associate Judge. 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 Court’s Domestic Violence Unit.  In addition, Judge Washington handled tax and probate matters on certification from other judges and was responsible for more than one hundred cases involving children who were victims of abuse and neglect. 
 
Chief Judge Washington has been active in many professional, civic and charitable organizations. He has served on several committees of the District of Columbia Bar, including the Criminal Justice Act/Counsel for Child Abuse and Neglect Committee, the Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary, and the Bar’s Nominating Committee. He also served as a member of the Steering Committee for the DC Affairs Sections of the Bar. Judge Washington presently serves on the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington and the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Clubs Foundation. He formerly served on the Board of Directors for the Einstein Institute for Science, Health and the Courts and currently serves on the Board of Directors of ASTAR, the Advanced Science and Technology Adjudication Resource Project.