August 12, 2020
Mr. Pat Cipollone
c/o Abigail.E.Kepto2@who.eop.gov
Office of the White House Counsel
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
RE: Letter of Support for The Honorable Sharon Goodie, Nominee for Associate Judge, D.C. Superior Court
Dear White House Counsel:
Washington Council of Lawyers writes to express support for The Honorable Sharon Goodie, currently a judge at the Office of Administrative
Hearings for the District of Columbia, for the position of Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Judicial Nomination Commission of DC recommended Judge Goodie to the White House on Thursday, July 23, 2020. We respectfully request that Judge Goodie be nominated to the U.S. Senate to fill one of the judicial vacancies at D.C. Superior Court.
Washington Council of Lawyers is a voluntary bar association located in the District of Columbia. Our mission is to ensure that our legal system treats everyone fairly, regardless of money, position, or power. Our members represent the legal community’s diversity: They come from law firms, law schools, private and nonprofit organizations, and the government. Washington Council of Lawyers offers its support for a judicial candidate, such as Judge Goodie, when that candidate has a demonstrated commitment to promoting equal access to justice.
Judge Goodie would bring extensive applicable experience to the position of Associate Judge. She served for seven years as a criminal and child neglect prosecutor for the District of Columbia Office of Attorney General, litigating daily in a high-volume D.C. Superior Court practice. Later, Judge Goodie was appointed to serve as an Administrative Law Judge with the Office of Administrative Hearings, a position she has held for 14 years. Her extensive litigation experience – from both sides of the bench – gives her the skills necessary to deal compassionately and effectively with the many litigants who appear pro se in D.C. Superior Court.
Judge Goodie has been a dedicated and active leader in the legal community. As a member of the DC Access to Justice Commission since 2015, she has consistently identified ways that the DC Office of Administrative Hearings might expand access to justice, despite some inherent challenges associated with that forum. Recently, Judge Goodie facilitated the Commission’s connection with the DC Access to Justice Commission to address access to justice concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Judge Goodie was instrumental in securing the support of the Chief Judge for the Office of Administrative Hearings to participate in the Commission’s COVID Task Force and has helped secure her colleagues’ support of a coordinated legal services line staffed by civil legal services organizations. She is a person who has stepped up to identify ways to advance access to justice during the current public health crisis.
Judge Goodie also has given back to the community by teaching litigation skills courses to newer attorneys. She has been active with the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) since 2004, teaching a variety of different classes regularly. She also has taught trial skills classes for the D.C. Bar Foundation, and courses on evidentiary foundations and objections for Washington Council of Lawyers. Her willingness to give her time to teaching trial skills is admirable.
Leadership is another quality Judge Goodie has demonstrated through serving as a Judicial Director of the Council for Court Excellence Board, and by holding leadership positions with the D.C. Bar Section on Courts, Lawyers, and the Administrative of Justice. Judge Goodie’s many years of practice, her strong legal skills, and her deep experience before D.C. courts generally reveal broad-based talents that position her well for being an Associate Judge. We support the nomination of Judge Goodie to serve as Associate Judge at the Superior Court for the District of Columbia. We urge quick action; the many vacancies on the Superior Court delay access to justice for litigants and impede confidence in our local judiciary.
Respectfully submitted,
David Steib
President
Washington Council of Lawyers