Edward Damich’s six-year reign as chief judge of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims ended this week when President Barack Obama tapped Judge Emily Hewitt to head up the court.
Damich, a Federal Claims judge for more than a decade, had been designated chief by President George W. Bush in May 2002. Federal Claims judges serve 15-year terms but the chief designation is open-ended.
The judge thanked colleagues in an e-mail obtained by Legal Times. “I thank you all for helping me fulfill the duties of Chief Judge for nearly seven years. I know that I speak for all of us in wishing Chief Judge Hewitt all the best,” he wrote. Damich, who could not be reached to comment this afternoon, will continue as a judge on the bench.
Hewitt, a Baltimore native and 1978 graduate of Harvard Law School, was appointed to the Federal Claims bench in November 1998 after a five-year stint as general counsel for the General Services Administration. While at the GSA, Hewitt served on President Bill Clinton’s Interagency Council on Women.
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius partner Brad Fagg, immediate past president of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims Bar Association, says in an e-mail Damich and Hewitt have been “extraordinarily supportive of the Bar Association, and have helped to foster the strong relationship that the Court has enjoyed with the bar.” Fagg says he anticipates “continued cooperation between the Court and bar during Judge Hewitt's tenure.”
A ceremonial passing of the gavel is scheduled for Tuesday at 3 p.m. in the Federal Claims court.
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