The District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission (“Commission”) has recommended to the President the names of the three attorneys below for his consideration in selecting a nominee to fill the judicial vacancy on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia created by the retirement of the Honorable John Ramsey Johnson. The President has sixty (60) days to select a nominee to fill this vacancy.
The Commission recommends the following candidates to fill Judge Ramsey Johnson’s vacancy:
Bridget Bailey Lipscomb, Esq., is an Assistant Director in the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, Environmental Torts Litigation Section, which defends the United States in complex tort litigation based on damages from contaminants. She supervises teams litigating multi-million dollar scientific cases that present complicated procedural and discovery issues, and that typically involve historical records and discovery databases that often exceed millions of pages of documents. Prior to her work as an assistant director, Ms. Lipscomb was a Senior Trial Counsel in the Department of Justice, Civil Division, Torts Branch, Federal Tort Claims Act (“FTCA”) Section. There, she frequently served as lead counsel defending the United States in complex tort litigation, including medical malpractice, law enforcement, and maintenance of federal lands, and she provided guidance to Assistant United States Attorneys on complicated FTCA matters. Before joining the Department of Justice, Ms. Lipscomb served as Legislative Counsel for United States Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, where, among other duties, she advised him on all legal issues and interacted with administrative offices on issues related to the Senator’s priorities. Prior to working in the Senate, Ms. Lipscomb was a partner at Lewis, King, Krieg & Waldrop, P.C. (currently Lewis Thomason), where she successfully tried cases in federal and state courts in various areas of the law. Ms. Lipscomb received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, summa cum laude, and a Master of Public Administration degree from Grambling State University. She received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law.
Mark A. Robbins, Esq., is currently General Counsel of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (“OPM”), a position he also held from 2001 to 2006. Nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate to serve as a Member of the Merit Systems Protection Board (“MSPB”) in 2012. President Trump designated him as Vice Chairman and acting chairman of MSPB in 2017. On December 20, 2018, President Trump issued a memorandum directing Mr. Robbins to serve concurrently in both his positions at the MSPB and OPM.
When nominated to the MSPB, Mr. Robbins was the General Counsel of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. He previously served as a Senior Rule of Law Advisor for the U.S. State Department in Babil Province, Iraq, where he was awarded the U.S. Army’s Commander’s Award for Civilian Service. Mr. Robbins also served as Executive Director of the White House Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board between 2006 and 2008. Prior to his initial service at OPM, he worked in private practice as a civil litigation attorney in Los Angeles, California between 1988 and 2000, and in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel from 1984 to 1988. Mr. Robbins began his career as a Legislative Assistant to two Los Angeles-area Members of Congress. In recognition of his extensive professional involvement and leadership in public administration, he was elected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration in 2013. Mr. Robbins earned his Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees from the George Washington University.
Carl Ezekiel Ross, Esq., serves as counsel to the U. S. House of Representatives Committee on Ethics (“Committee”). As counsel, Mr. Ross investigates alleged violations of criminal and civil law, and regulatory provisions, and he prepares matters for adjudication by the Committee. Prior to joining the Committee, Mr. Ross served as an Assistant United States Attorney (“AUSA”) for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia in the Civil Division. During his tenure as an AUSA, Mr. Ross handled more than one hundred federal appellate and district court matters. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Ross worked as a litigation associate with Arnold & Porter LLP, where he served on the firm’s hiring committee.
Mr. Ross is a native Washingtonian with long-standing ties to the community, including work with the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, service as a board member for a treatment foster care agency, and work with various churches and organizations in the Washington Metropolitan area. Mr. Ross received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Oral Roberts University and his Juris Doctor degree from the William & Mary School of Law, where he was an associate articles editor of the William & Mary Law Review, Chief Justice of the Moot Court Board, and recipient of the Lawrence W. I’Anson Award. Mr. Ross currently serves as a Member of William & Mary Law School’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. After law school, Mr. Ross clerked for the Honorable James R. Spencer of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Please direct any questions to the Commission’s Executive Director at (202) 879-0478 or [email protected].
Members of the District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission
Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan, Chair
United States District Court for the District of Columbia
United States Courthouse
333 Constitution Avenue, NW
Chambers 4935-Annex
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 354-3260
[email protected]
Ronald S. Flagg, Esq.
Legal Services Corporation
3333 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 295-1620
[email protected]
Mr. William Lucy
1831 Sudbury Lane, NW
Washington, DC 20012
(301) 520-0576
[email protected]
John J. McAvoy, Esq.
3110 Brandywine Street, NW
Washington, DC 20008
(202) 966-8544
[email protected]
Addy R. Schmitt, Esq.
Miller & Chevalier, Chtd.
900 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006
(202)626-5837
[email protected]
The Honorable Marie C. Johns
Leftwich LLC
1400 K Street, NW
Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20005-2403
(202) 434-9124
[email protected]
Benjamin F. Wilson, Esq.
Beveridge & Diamond, PC
1350 I St NW, #700
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 789-6023
[email protected]