WBA Judicial Council Update
By Judge Anita Josey-Herring
This year is the 10th Anniversary of the founding of the Washington Bar Association Judicial Council and we are set to celebrate during our annual Symposium on March 16, 2010 at 6 p.m. at the Historic Courthouse of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals at 409 E Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
“African-American Judges: Then and Now” is the theme of this year’s Symposium, which will be moderated by William E. Martin, Esq. Our panelists will be the Honorable Eugene N. Hamilton, the Honorable Reggie Walton, the Honorable Constance O’Bryant, and the Honorable Inez S. Reid. The founders of the Judicial Council will be honored and a reception will follow the program.
We are proud to continue the traditions of service and education established by the founders of the Judicial Council. Over the past 10 years, Judicial Council members from federal and local courts and local and federal administrative hearing offices have been engaged in community service, professional development and public awareness programs on legal issues.
Our annual Symposium, held each March, has been a forum for attorneys, law students and members of the District of Columbia community to come together and ponder various legal issues of the day.
But the Council’s work encompasses more than the annual symposium. Council members have committed countless hours to engaging young people in understanding the role of the law and the courts in our society and their lives. From the beginning, the founders were committed to increasing the number of African-American law students from Historically Black Law Schools to secure judicial internships at the end of their first year in law school. Over the years, the Judicial Council internship program continues to recruit students from HBCUs but also has opened to other law schools throughout the region and each year draws a diverse pool of students representing all races and cultures. Hundreds of students have been placed with federal, Superior Court and administrative law judges over the years. Many return after graduation and serve as law clerks for District of Columbia judges.
In recent years, Judicial Council members have increased the organizations formal involvement in the District of Columbia Public Schools by providing an opportunity to work with students from D.C. elementary, junior high and high schools. Council members also participate in programs designed to encourage African-American undergraduate students to consider careers in law. | 
