Three District of Columbia judges, including Chief Judge Eric Washington of the D.C. Court of Appeals, are seeking a second, 15-year term on the bench.
Washington, along with Judge Stephen Glickman of the appeals court and D.C. Superior Court Judge Hiram Puig-Lugo, were appointed in 1999 and are up for reappointment in 2014. The D.C. Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure, which reviews judicial reappointments and complaints, is accepting public comments through Feb. 28.
Washington was approved for a third term as the appeals court's chief judge in July. He previously served as a Superior Court judge. Before becoming a judge, Washington worked in private practice and as a government lawyer.
Glickman was managing partner of Zuckerman Spaeder before being appointed to the appeals court. He also worked at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia and the Federal Trade Commission.
Puig-Lugo was a trial attorney in the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice before his appointment. He also worked at the Public Defender Service. He's currently the deputy presiding judge of Family Court.
The judicial tenure commission decides if judges up for reappointment are "well qualified," "qualified" or "unqualified." Well qualified judges are automatically reappointed, qualified judges have to be re-nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to keep their seat, and unqualified judges cannot be reappointed.
In the four decades since the local court system adopted the current process for judicial appointments and review, it's been rare for judges not to receive automatic reappointments.
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