IV 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 354

Commending Annice M. Wagner, Chief Judge of the District of Columbia 

Court of Appeals, for her public service. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 11, 2005

Ms. NORTON submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Government Reform 

RESOLUTION

Commending Annice M. Wagner, Chief Judge of the District 

of Columbia Court of Appeals, for her public service.

Whereas Annice M. Wagner, Chief Judge of the District of 

Columbia Court of Appeals, entered Federal Government 

service in 1973 as the first woman to be appointed General Counsel of the National Capital Housing Authority, 

then a Federal agency; 

Whereas from 1975 to 1977, the Honorable Annice M. Wagner served as People’s Counsel for the District of Columbia, an office created by Congress to represent the interests of utility consumers before the District of Columbia 

Public Service Commission and the District of Columbia 

Court of Appeals; 

Whereas in 1977, the Honorable Annice M. Wagner was appointed by President Carter and confirmed by the Senate 
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to serve as an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of 

the District of Columbia; 

Whereas while serving as an Associate Judge of the Superior 

Court, the Honorable Annice M. Wagner served in the 

civil, criminal, family, probate, and tax divisions and 

served for 2 years as presiding judge of the probate and 

tax divisions; 

Whereas while serving as an Associate Judge of the Superior 

Court, Annice M. Wagner served on various commissions 

and committees to improve the District of Columbia judicial system, including serving as chairperson of the Committee on Selection and Tenure of Hearing Commissioners, and as a member of the Superior Court Rules 

Committee and the Sentencing Guidelines Commission; 

Whereas as an Associate Judge of the Superior Court, Annice 

M. Wagner served as chairperson of the Court’s Advisory 

Committee on Probate and Fiduciary Rules and was 

largely responsible for the implementation of new rules 

intended to streamline and clarify procedures regarding 

missing, protected, and incapacitated individuals; 

Whereas as an Associate Judge of the Superior Court, the 

Honorable Annice M. Wagner served as chairperson of 

the Task Force on Gender Bias in the Courts, which conducted a comprehensive study of bias in the courts; 

Whereas under Annice M. Wagner’s leadership, the District 

of Columbia courts established the Standing Committee 

on Fairness and Access to the Courts to ensure racial, 

gender, and ethnic fairness; 

Whereas Annice M. Wagner was appointed by President 

George H.W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate in 1990 
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to be an Associate Judge of the District of Columbia 

Court of Appeals; 

Whereas Annice M. Wagner was appointed in 1994 to serve 

as Chief Judge of the District Court of Appeals; 

Whereas while an Associate Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, Annice M. Wagner served as Chair 

of the Joint Committee on Judicial Administration in the 

District of Columbia; 

Whereas under Annice M. Wagner’s leadership, the District 

of Columbia courts initiated the renovation of the Old 

District of Columbia Courthouse (Old City Hall) in Judiciary Square, a National Historic Landmark, for future 

use by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals; 

Whereas under Annice M. Wagner’s leadership, the District 

of Columbia courts initiated the master planning process 

for the renovation and use of court properties, which will 

lead to the revitalization of the Judiciary Square area in 

the Nation’s Capital; 

Whereas under Annice M. Wagner’s leadership, the District 

of Columbia Court of Appeals, along with the District of 

Columbia Bar, the District of Columbia Bar Foundation, 

and the District of Columbia Consortium of Legal Service Providers, established the District of Columbia Access 

to Justice Commission, a commission that will propose 

ways to make lawyers and the legal system more available for poor individuals in the District of Columbia; 

Whereas Annice M. Wagner served as President of the Conference of Chief Justices, an organization of Chief Justices and Chief Judges of the highest court of each of the 

50 States, the District of Columbia, and the territories; 
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Whereas Annice M. Wagner served as Chairperson of the 

Board of Directors of the National Center for State 

Courts; 

Whereas the Honorable Annice M. Wagner commands wide 

respect within the legal profession nationally, having been 

selected to serve as one of 11 members of the American 

Bar Association’s Section on Dispute Resolution’s Drafting Committee on the Uniform Mediation Act, which collaborated with the National Conference of Commissioners 

on Uniform State Laws in promulgating the Uniform 

Mediation Act, which, in 2001, was approved and recommended for enactment in all of the States, to foster 

prompt, economical, and amicable resolution of disputes 

through mediation processes which promote public confidence and uniformity across State lines; 

Whereas since 1979, Annice M. Wagner has been involved 

with the United Planning Organization, which was established in 1962 to conduct initiatives designed to provide 

human services in the District of Columbia and she has 

served as Interim President of the Organization’s Board 

of Trustees; 

Whereas since 1986, Annice M. Wagner has served as a 

member of a teaching team for the Trial Advocacy Workshop at Harvard Law School; 

Whereas Annice M. Wagner, Chief Judge of the District of 

Columbia Court of Appeals, was born in the District of 

Columbia and attended District of Columbia Public 

Schools and received her Bachelor’s and law degree from 

Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan; and 

Whereas Annice M. Wagner’s dedication to public service and 

the citizens of the District of Columbia has contributed 
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to the improvement of the judicial system, increased 

equal access to justice, and advanced public confidence in 

the court system: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives com2 mends the Honorable Annice M. Wagner for her commit3 ment and dedication to public service, the judicial system, 

4 equal access to justice, and the community.

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