Executive, Judicial & Mandatory Bar Endorsements

PLEASE NOTE THAT CANDIDATES SHOULD PROVIDE THE WBA WITH AT LEAST THIRTY (30) DAYS NOTICE FOR COMPLETION OF THE ENDORSEMENT PROCESS.

Executive & Judicial Endorsements

Requests for endorsement for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia vacancy due to the retirement of the Honorable Rupa Ranga are due by 5:00pm ET, Tuesday, March 26, 2024.

Requests for endorsement for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia vacancy due to the retirement of the Honorable Jennifer M. Anderson are due by 5:00pm ET, Tuesday, March 26, 2024.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is accepting applications for the appointment of a new United States Magistrate Judge; requests for endorsement to accompany an application are due by 5:00pm ET, Thursday, February 29, 2024.

The WBA’s principal goal in endorsing candidates for judgeships is to ensure the appointment of qualified judges to both local and federal courts in and around the District of Columbia. Consistent with that goal, we also seek to increase the number of women occupying judgeships in the District of Columbia and federal courts. We endorse candidates who have demonstrated a commitment to equality of all litigants before the courts and who have been responsive to women’s needs and concerns.

The WBA’s principal goal in endorsing candidates for executive positions in the District of Columbia and federal governments and in bar associations is to increase the number of qualified women in those positions. We seek to endorse candidates who have demonstrated a commitment to promoting women’s advancement and opportunities and to responding to women’s needs and concerns.

The Executive and Judicial Endorsements Committee of the WBA will complete an investigation of each candidate seeking endorsement by the WBA. This investigation may involve interviews with the candidate, interviews with persons listed as references for the candidate, a review of information provided by or on behalf of the candidate, and a review of additional information and interviews with additional persons that the Committee deems appropriate to properly evaluate the candidate. Upon completion of the Committee’s investigation, the Committee will make a recommendation to the WBA Board regarding candidates for endorsement. The WBA Board will make the ultimate decision regarding endorsement.

There will be no levels of ratings of candidates (e.g., qualified, very qualified, etc.). The WBA will endorse only those executive candidates about whom it is genuinely enthusiastic and only those judicial candidates whom it believes will be excellent judges.

Click here for WBA’s Endorsement Guidelines
Click here for WBA’s Application for Executive & Judicial Endorsements (this is a fillable PDF)

Mandatory Bar Endorsements

Deadline for endorsements requests for DC Bar 2024 election is Friday, April 5, 2024, 5:00pm ET. We plan to announce our endorsements on April 22.

The WBA will only consider endorsement requests for candidates for officer positions in mandatory bar associations. There are no geographic restrictions. The WBA will not limit the number of endorsements, e.g., if a position is contested and more than one qualified candidate requests endorsement, WBA may endorse more than one candidate for the position.

The WBA’s principal goal in endorsing candidates for bar officer positions is to ensure that qualified candidates serve as leaders. Consistent with that goal, the WBA also seeks to increase the number of people in leadership positions who support the mission of the WBA. The WBA endorses candidates who have demonstrated a commitment to empowering and advancing women lawyers and who have been responsive to women’s needs and concerns.

There will be no levels of ratings of candidates (e.g., qualified, very qualified, etc.). The WBA will endorse only those candidates about whom it is genuinely enthusiastic and whom it believes will be excellent bar leaders.

Click here for WBA’s Mandatory Bar Endorsement Guidelines
Click here for WBA’s Application for Mandatory Bar Endorsements (this is a fillable PDF)