The District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission ("Commission") has recommended to the President the names of the three attorneys listed below for his consideration in selecting nominees to fill the judicial vacancy on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia ("Superior Court") created by the retirement of the Honorable Jonathan H. Pittman. The President has sixty (60) days to select a nominee to fill this vacancy.
The Commission recommends the following candidates for the Pittman vacancy:
Hon. Tannisha D. Bell is an Administrative Law Judge ("ALJ") with the United States Department of Health and Human Services Departmental Appeals Board in the Civil Remedies Division ("HHS"). She has served as a federal ALJ since March 2021. Before joining HHS, Judge Bell was an ALJ with the District of Columbia Office of Administrative Hearings ("OAH").
Judge Bell previously served as an Assistant Deputy Attorney General and a Trial Attorney with the District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General. She also served as the Section Chief of the Crime Victim Services Section of the Ohio Attorney General's Office, where she managed diverse staff and administered the Crime Victims Compensation Fund for the State of Ohio. Judge Bell began her career with the Columbus, Ohio City Attorney's Office, where she prosecuted traffic and criminal misdemeanor offenses ranging from driving under the influence to domestic violence and assault.
Judge Bell is the Chair of the Washington Bar Association's Judicial Council. She is also an adjunct professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center. Judge Bell received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and her Master of Science from Virginia Tech. She received her Juris Doctor from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.
Hon. Robert J. Hildum is a Magistrate Judge on the Superior Court. Before joining the court, he was an ALJ with the OAH, presiding over matters involving Public Benefits, Unemployment Insurance, Worker's Compensation, and Wage-Hour disputes.
Judge Hildum has held leadership positions in several District of Columbia government agencies, including Deputy Attorney General for Public Safety, Interim Director of the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, and General Counsel for the Department of Forensic Sciences. He has also worked for the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the Office of Unified Communications.
Judge Hildum began his legal career prosecuting violent crimes as an Assistant District Attorney in New Orleans, Louisiana. Following this experience, he became a partner at Manasseh, Hildum & Gill, PLC in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, focusing on criminal defense. After a brief period as an Assistant Attorney General with the Louisiana Department of Justice, Judge Hildum moved to the District to serve as a Senior Trial Attorney with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Judge Hildum is an Adjunct Professor of Law at American University Washington College of Law, where he teaches appellate advocacy. He has served as a faculty member on numerous programs for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. Judge Hildum received his Bachelor of Arts in History from Loyola University New Orleans and his Juris Doctor from Mississippi College School of Law.
Hon. Stephen Rickard is a Magistrate Judge on the Superior Court. Since joining the bench, he has served in the Civil Division, including in the Landlord and Tenant Branch, the Small Claims Branch, and the Mortgage Foreclosure and Debt Collection calendars. He serves on multiple Court committees, including the Information Technology Steering Committee, the Committee on Jury Instructions, and the Committee on Judicial Education & Training.
Before joining the court, Judge Rickard was an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, serving as a line attorney in the Homicide Section. He served in several supervisory roles, including Chief of the General Crimes Section, Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Sections, and Deputy Chief of the Misdemeanor Unit. He also served in the Appellate Division.
Judge Rickard earned his Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, from Brown University and his Juris Doctor, summa cum laude, from the Boston University School of Law. Following law school, he clerked for the Honorable Joseph L. Tauro on the United States District Court of the District of Massachusetts and the Honorable Juan R. Torruella on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
Please direct any questions to the Commission's Executive Director, Tracy B. Nutall, Esq., at (202) 879-0478 or [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.
Kropf Moseley Schmitt
1100 H Street, NW
Suite 1220
Washington, DC 20005
(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]