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The U.S. Senate Confirms Seven Judical Nominees to the DC Courts - We are Thankful and Looking Forward to Participaitng in the Continued Work That Still Needs to be Done

Late Thursday night, members of the United States Senate confirmed seven nominees to take their place on the bench in the DC Courts.

Six of the nominees will fill seats on the bench in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. They are:

  • Laura Crane
  • Veronica Sanchez
  • Carl Ross
  • Leslie Meek
  • Errol Arthur (DC Magistrate Judge)
  • Kendra Biggs

Mr. Vijay Shankar will sit on the DC Court of Appeals.

The DC Courts would like to thank the White House, United States Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer for bringing up the vote and each member of the U.S, Senate, to include Senator Gary Peters for filing a motion for cloture on the nominees, which led to the late-night vote.

The DC Courts are also grateful to our many supporters who recognize the judicial vacancy crisis that continues to affect the court and those we are charged with serving, this includes DC Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, the DC City Council, and the many Bar organizations and justice advocacy groups in the District that are advocating for full staffing on the bench across the DC Courts.

The vote last night, which adds seven judges to the bench, is a good step to alleviating the vacancies that have plagued the DC Courts for several years – but there is still much work that needs to be done.

We urge everyone in a position to help to not take their foot off the gas until all of the vacancies on the bench are filled.

There are currently eight vacancies waiting for the White House to nominate a candidate, seven in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and one in the DC Court of Appeals.

While we look forward to swearing in our new judges, we remain cognizant of the fact that we will still have 11 vacancies on the bench between the DC Court of Appeals and the DC Superior Courts by the end of February 2023.

It is our hope that the momentum in the Senate will continue so we have a full complement of judges to provide fair and timely justice to all that have business with the Courts.

Our work, together, is making a difference, as we continue to remain open to all, trusted by all while providing justice to all.

 

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