III 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 107 

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

Court of Appeals, for her public service. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 14, 2005 

Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mr. STEVENS, Mr. 

VOINOVICH, Mr. AKAKA, Mr. COLEMAN, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. COBURN, Mr. 

DEWINE, Ms. LANDRIEU, and Mr. LAUTENBERG) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security 

and Governmental Affairs 

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; 
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•SRES 107 IS

Whereas, in 1977, the Honorable Annice M. Wagner was appointed by President Carter and confirmed by the Senate 

to serve as an Associate Judge of the Superior Court for 

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; 
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•SRES 107 IS

Whereas Annice M. Wagner was appointed by President 

George H.W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate in 1990 

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 Chief 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 unused or underutilized 

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 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 Jus-
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•SRES 107 IS

tices and Chief Judges of the highest court of each of the 

50 States, the District of Columbia, and the territories; 

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 participated 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 degrees from 

Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan; and 
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•SRES 107 IS

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

the citizens of the District of Columbia has contributed 

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 Senate commends the Honorable 

2 Annice M. Wagner for her commitment and dedication to 

3 public service, the judicial system, equal access to justice, 

4 and the community. 

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