Anita Josey-Herring, who in 2020 became the first female chief judge in D.C. Superior Court, will not seek a second four-year term in that top position, the court said Thursday.
A year after the courthouse closed to in-person proceedings in 2020, it reopened to both in-person and virtual hearings and in-person trials. During her tenure, Josey-Herring increased rotations of judges through various divisions within the courthouse, including civil, juvenile and adult criminal, and created enhanced pro-bono initiatives, linking attorneys and firms willing to waive fees on behalf of needy clients.
The judge will remain as chief through Oct. 1.
“The Chief Judge has been and continues to be a strong and instrumental leader who has paved the way in expanding access to justice to those that the Court serves,” court spokesman Douglas J. Buchanan said in a statement. “Her leadership, determination and commitment to the Court, its employees and public have been the foundation from which she has led the Court.”
In 2020, Josey-Herring vied with two other Superior Court judges for the chief position and became the first woman to hold the title since Congress established D.C. Superior Court in 1970.
Recently, the court has struggled with judicial vacancies as Congress and the White House have been slow in appointing judges. The court currently has 12 judicial openings. That often results in cases taking longer to be heard by judges whose calendars quickly become full.
With the vacancies, the court is operating with 48 associate judges; 33 senior judges, who hear cases on a part-time basis; and 26 magistrate judges, in addition to the chief judge, according to its website.
President Bill Clinton appointed Josey-Herring to the bench in 1997. A former attorney with the District’s Public Defender Service, she also formerly served as the agency’s deputy director.
In recent years, the court has been criticized — often by prosecutors, local politicians and victim rights advocates — for being too lenient on defendants, particularly those charged with violent crimes. Buchanan declined to comment on behalf of the court. But in the past, judges have said they were only following laws enacted by the D.C. Council and mayor.
