The District of Colombia Judicial Nomination Commission ("Commission") has forwarded to President Barack Obama the names of three lawyers for his consideration in selecting a nominee to fill a judicial vacancy on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The President has sixty (60) days to select a nominee to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the Honorable Jerry Byrd. The Commission has recommended the following three candidates to fill the vacancy:

Christopher J. Herrling is Pro Bono Counsel at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP where he administers the firm's pro bono program, oversees training in pro bono matters and litigates a variety of civil and family law matters for pro bono clients. Immediately prior to joining Wilmer Hale in 1997, Mr. Herrling served as the Executive Director of The Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia. He joined the Legal Aid Society in 1984 as a staff attorney. He was later promoted to Managing Attorney and then Legal Director, all the while supervising junior lawyers and personally handling a wide variety of housing, public benefits and family law matters. Mr. Herrling's public service includes serving on the board of directors of The Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia and the Capital Area Immigrants' Rights Coalition. He also serves as a member of the United States Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services. Previously he served as a member of the Legal Counsel for the Elderly Advisory Board; and he served two terms as a member of the DC Child Support Guidelines Commission and the United States District Court Advisory Committee on Pro Se Litigation. Mr. Herrling received his undergraduate degree from The University of Rochester and his law degree from The Catholic University of America.

Milton C. Lee Jr. is a Magistrate Judge on the District of Columbia Superior Court. Since his appointment in 1997, Magistrate Judge Lee has served in the Criminal and Civil Branches of the Court as well as in the Family Court. He is currently assigned to the Family Court and presides over the Court's Fathering Court Initiative - a treatment oriented approach to reuniting non-custodial parents recently released from prison with their children through the child support system. He also serves as the presiding magistrate judge for the Court. Prior to joining the Court, he was an Associate Professor Law at the University of the District of Columbia's David A Clarke School of Law. Since his appointment to the Court, Magistrate Judge Lee has continued to serve the law school as a member of the adjunct faculty. Magistrate Judge Lee was a member of the District of Columbia Public Defender Service from 1985 to 1993. He is the author of several articles related to practice in the Superior Court. He serves on many Court and community based committees. He received his undergraduate degree from the School of Justice at American University and his law degree from the Catholic University Columbus School of Law.

William W. Nooter is a Magistrate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Since his installation in 2000 he has served mostly in the Family Court, handling cases of child abuse and neglect as well as adoptions, guardianships, custody cases and hearings in juvenile delinquency matters. In this position, he has presided over numerous bench trials and authored an opinion concerning the court's jurisdiction in neglect cases, In the Matter of M.R.,130 D.W.L.R. 2745 (December 23, 2002). Magistrate Judge Nooter serves on numerous Superior Court Committees and is currently the Deputy Presiding Magistrate Judge. Prior to his appointment to the Court, he was with the law firm of Jordan Coyne & Savits, where he tried civil cases in the District of Columbia and Maryland courts. He handled a broad range of cases including personal injury actions, professional liability, employment and insurance coverage issues. He has handled jury trials and litigated complex motions in the civil arena. From 1982 to 1989, he served as a trial attorney for the Office of the Corporation Counsel, spending four years in the Juvenile Section and three years in the Civil Division, defending the District of Columbia in numerous civil actions in DC Superior Court and in federal court. Magistrate Judge Nooter received his undergraduate degree from St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland and his JD with honors from the George Washington University Law School in 1981. He clerked for the Honorable Tim Murphy of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.