The District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission (the “Commission”) has redesignated the Honorable Anna Blackburne-Rigsby as Chief Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals (“Court of Appeals” or “Court”) for a third consecutive four-year term. Pursuant to D.C. Code § 1-204.31(b), her term commences March 18, 2025.
In October 2024, the Commission issued a public notice that the four-year term of the Court of Appeals Chief Judge would expire on March 17, 2025. All judges in regular, active service on the Court of Appeals were invited to apply for consideration for a four-year designation as Chief Judge. Chief Judge Blackburne-Rigsby notified the Commission of her interest in being redesignated and submitted a Statement of Interest in support of her application for redesignation. The Commission invited public comments on her performance as Chief Judge and has carefully considered those comments, the results of a background investigation, and her Statement of Interest and Supplemental Materials supporting her application for redesignation. The Commission also considered her experience, qualifications, leadership abilities, administrative skills, ability to promote confidence in the Court, and her performance over the last four years. Finally, the Commission discussed with Chief Judge Blackburne-Rigsby her vision for the Court for the next four years, including plans for addressing the challenges facing the Court due to the long-standing judicial vacancies.
As Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, Chief Judge Blackburne-Rigsby Chairs the Joint Committee on Judicial Administration, the policy-making body for the Court of Appeals and the Superior Court of the District of Columbia (collectively the “DC Courts” or “Courts”). She has been guided in her decision-making by the DC Courts’ Vision articulated in the 2023-2027 Strategic Plan – Open to All, Trusted by All, Justice for All – and the goals and strategies outlined in the Strategic Plan, especially the goal of ensuring access to justice for all during the unprecedented challenges presented during the aftermath of the most devastating aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under her leadership, the Courts engaged in a re-imagining of operations to continue providing uninterrupted services to the public by making technological enhancements to improve public access to in-person and remote oral arguments. As part of the re-imagining, Chief Judge Blackburne-Rigsby recommended that the Courts create an AI Task Force to support their commitment to expanding the capacity of its information technology infrastructure.
Chief Judge Blackburne-Rigsby served as President of the National Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) and as Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) for the 2023-2024 term. She Chairs the CCJ and Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) Committee of Public Trust and Confidence in State Courts and Chairs the National CCJ/COSCA AI in State Courts Rapid Response Teams. She is a Thomson Reuters Institute (TRI) national steering committee member and NCSC AI Consortium for Law and Courts.
Chief Judge Blackburne-Rigsby has been the recipient of numerous awards for her legal, judicial, and community service, including the 2023 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award, the Business and Professional Women’s League’s Sojourner Truth Award, the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia’s 2014 Star of the Bar Award, the National Bar Association’s Heman Sweatt Champion of Justice Award, the Greater Washington Area Women Lawyers Division’s (GWAC) Charlotte E. Ray Award, and the National Association of Women Judges’ Justice Vaino Spencer Leadership Award, to name a few.
Questions concerning the District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission should be directed to the Executive Director, Tracy B. Nutall, at (202) 879-0478 or via email at [email protected].
Members of the District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission
The Honorable Marie C. Johns
PPC-Leftwich
1400 K Street, NW
Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20005-2403
(202) 434-9124
[email protected]
Benjamin F. Wilson, Esq.
7825 Orchid Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20012
(202) 657-2534
[email protected]
Addy R. Schmitt, Esq.
Harris St. Laurent & Wechsler LLP
1775 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Suite 650
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 617-5791
[email protected]
Vincent H. Cohen, Jr., Esq.
Dechert LLP
1900 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006-1110
(202) 261-3432
[email protected]
Yaida O. Ford, Esq.
Ford Law Pros P.C.
1001 L Street, SE
Washington, DC, 20003
(202) 792-4946
[email protected]
The Honorable Linda W. Cropp
4001 18th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20011
(202) 726-0505
[email protected]
The Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan
United States District Court
for the District of Columbia
United States Courthouse
333 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 354-3390
[email protected]