Williamsburg, Va. (Aug. 12, 2009) — Eric T. Washington, chief judge of the DC Court of Appeals, has joined the Board of Directors of the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), a nonprofit that aims to improve the administration of justice through leadership and service to the nation’s state courts. He will serve a threeyear term. 
 
“Chief Judge Washington has experienced the courtroom from in front of the bench as well as from behind it,” said Mary C. McQueen, NCSC president. “His unique perspective of the courts, coupled with his dedication to civic and charitable organizations, will make him an invaluable member of the National Center’s board.” 
 
Chief Judge Washington was appointed an associate judge to the DC Court of Appeals in 1999 by President Bill Clinton. He has served as the court’s chief judge — a position designated by the District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Commission — since August 2005. During his tenure on the District’s highest court, Chief Judge Washington has heard hundreds of appeals from the DC Superior Court and DC’s administrative agencies. 
 
He began his legal career in 1979 in the Houston office of Fulbright & Jaworski, where he practiced general labor and employment law. From 1983-87, Chief Judge Washington was the legislative director and counsel to US Rep. Michael A. Andrews. He served as special counsel and later principal deputy counsel to the Corporation Counsel (now the DC Attorney General’s office) before becoming a partner in the DC firm of Hogan & Hartson in 1990. He was appointed to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia in 1995. 
 
Chief Judge Washington is a member of the Conference of Chief Justices and chair of DC’s Joint Committee on Judicial Administration, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington and for the Boys and Girls Clubs Foundation. He previously was co-chair of the Strategic Planning Leadership Council for the District of Columbia Courts and a member of the Standing Committee on Fairness and Access to the Courts and the Access to Justice Commission. 
 
A native of New Jersey, Washington received his bachelor’s from Tufts University and his law degree from the Columbia University School of Law.  
 
The National Center for State Courts, headquartered in Williamsburg, Va., is a nonprofit court reform organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice by providing leadership and service to the state courts. Founded in 1971 by the Conference of Chief Justices and Chief Justice of the United States Warren E. Burger, NCSC provides education, training, technology, management, and research services to the nation’s state courts.
 
National Center for State Courts, 300 Newport Avenue, Williamsburg, VA  23185-4147