Washington Lawyer - September/October 2024 - 26

FEATURE
Talk about some of your biggest accomplishments as chief judge.
[During the pandemic] I built on what was started, but I expanded operations
from a few [virtual] courtrooms to at least 80 between October 2020
when I started and 2021 when we resumed jury trials.
In addition, we equipped the court so members of the public could feel
comfortable coming here. We worked with the mayor's office to make
sure all the judges were vaccinated when vaccines came on the market,
and we worked with an industrial hygienist and others to make sure that
it was safe for people to be in the court. We engaged our facilities management
and technology staff, [and] we engaged in a campaign to educate
jurors and members of the public about what the court had done
to fully resume in-person operations.
Over time, I brought back each division based on the priority of what was
most urgent or essential to dispensing justice to litigants and the bar. Of
course, criminal and domestic violence cases came back first because
people charged in criminal cases have a constitutional right to be present
at critical court hearings, and we were cognizant of the number of incarcerated
people waiting for jury trials. We worked with the [Criminal Justice
Act] bar to staff the initial in-person proceedings, and with PDS and
United States Attorney's Office leaders to resume key criminal justice
functions in an orderly fashion. We converted the grand jury intake process
to a hybrid enrollment format, and [we] expanded the petit jury telephonic
check-in system.
Then the Civil Division resumed jury trials, and the other divisions followed.
This incremental process was pursued so we could continually
evaluate how well we were faring in terms of COVID positivity rates. It also
provided a sense of whether we could continue expanding court operations
or whether we had to pull back. It was quite a feat getting the court
up and running. So many people contributed to that.
We also worked with our justice partners and stakeholders to incorporate
feedback that was helpful. The Access to Justice Commission got the
word out to the community to make sure litigants were aware of the
changes made in the court . . . . The Joint Committee on Judicial Administration,
which sets the budget and policy direction for the D.C. Courts,
worked with the D.C. Courts' executive office to establish remote hearing
sites in every quadrant of the city, so individuals without Wi-Fi or computer
access could participate virtually in court proceedings.
Quite frankly, the Superior Court leadership team and I looked at every
possible aspect of our experience during the pandemic to reimagine the
court . . . For example, for short court hearings, lawyers and their clients
do not have to come down to the courthouse, pay for transportation, arrange
childcare, and then wait for their cases to be called. They can now
log in to a court proceeding right from their home or office.
Beyond the pandemic, I'm grateful to have accomplished many of the
goals that I set out in my statement of interest for the position of chief
judge. I set out as a priority supporting litigants in need of representation
from pre-case initiation through appeals and post-disposition. We have
now launched the Access to Justice Unit, hired a pro bono coordinator,
and established a committee of court representatives and external partners
to explore potential alternatives to attorney representation in certain
civil contexts. Recruitment and training for volunteers at several self-help
centers have expanded. We worked with the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center to
create an interactive 360-degree video tour of the courthouse. These are
just some examples of what has happened over the past several years.
26 WASHINGTON LAWYER
* SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2024
Navigating the ongoing judicial vacancy crisis in coordination with my
judicial leadership teams honestly has been an accomplishment. Everyone
has pulled together and supported my efforts in a way that has humbled
me in this role as chief. In addition
to addressing the pandemic
backlog, we have continued to
meet our statutory obligations
even as caseloads have expanded
[and] legislative changes have
shifted the landscape, and we have
continued to push forward with
holding ourselves accountable by
monitoring and improving performance
standards.
You decided not to seek another
term. Why?
While attending law school at
Georgetown University Law Center
in the evening, [I worked] at the Department
of Labor in OSHA [and]
in the solicitor's office at the U.S.
Department of Energy. [I was] a law
clerk for Johnny Barnes, who was
Reverend Fauntroy's chief of staff.
After graduating [from] Georgetown,
I obtained a judicial clerkship
with Judge Herbert Dixon Jr. Later,
I was a public defender and the
deputy director of that agency.
I was in the courthouse all the time
as a lawyer. That was over a 10-year
period before I became a judge
in 1997. And as of this year, I will
have served as a judge for 27 years.
I have worked at 150 percent my
entire career - not just here on
the court, but as an attorney and as
an agency leader. I have worked in
the community going back to the
first week that I moved to the District
of Columbia [from Hampton
Roads, Virginia]. My first volunteer
job was working with an individual
who was running for city council.
My aunt made sure that I always
had something to do, so I worked for free as a volunteer. I have been working
in this community with children, teenagers, families, and so on, from
the beginning. I have served on national and local boards involving family
law and housing matters. I served on the board of the National Council of
Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the National Association of Women
Judges, and the Transitional Housing Corporation, to name a few. Looking
back, I feel great about the work that I have been so blessed to participate
in and privileged to have worked with so many talented and committed
people.
I feel that I have
made the system
better with the
help and support
of so many people ...
I have fought as
hard as I could,
inside and outside
the court, to make
the system more
just.
Washington Lawyer - September/October 2024

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