Catharine Easterly

Catharine Friend Easterly is a judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. She assumed office in 2011. Her current term ends on November 18, 2026.

Easterly was nominated to the court by Barack Obama (D) and confirmed in November of 2011.^[1] To read more about judicial selection in Washington, D.C., click here.

Biography

Judge Easterly earned her bachelor’s degree from Yale College and her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1996.^[2][3]

At the time of appointment, Easterly was a public defender, a position she held since 2003.^[1] Easterly's legal career began in Nassau County where she worked as an appellate public defender for the Legal Aid Society. Later she worked in the Office of the Appellate Defender in New York City. She also worked as an associate at Stillman & Friedman, formerly Stillman, Friedman & Schechtman, in New York.^[2][3]

Appointments

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
Name: Catherine Easterly
Court: District of Columbia Court of Appeals
Progress
Confirmed 108 days after nomination.
ANominated: 8/2/2011
AABA Rating:
Questionnaire:
AHearing:
QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
AReported:
AConfirmed: 11/18/2011

2011

Easterly was nominated to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals on August 2, 2011. The nomination was confirmed by the Congress on November 18, 2011.^[4]

State supreme court judicial selection in Washington, D.C.

See also: Judicial selection in Washington, D.C.

The nine judges on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals are selected through the assisted appointment method. The District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission (JNC) releases a notice of judicial vacancy, and interested individuals submit application materials to the commission. The JNC is composed of seven members, each serving six-year terms, except the member appointed by the President who serves a five-year term. The commission evaluates applicants and may choose to conduct interviews or solicit feedback from the public.^[5] Three individuals are recommended to the President of the United States by the commission for each vacancy. The President names an appointee from that list who then, like federal judges, must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.^[5]

Judges serve for 15 years after their appointment. Eligibility for reappointment is determined by the District of Columbia Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure. The commission solicits feedback on and evaluates judges interested in another term. If a judge is found to be "well qualified," he or she is automatically reappointed. "Qualified" judges may be reappointed and go through the same process as a first-time nominee. If the President chooses to not reappoint a judge, or if the commission determines that a judge is "unqualified," the District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission starts a new search.^[6]

Qualifications

To serve on the court of appeals, a judge must be:

• a U.S. citizen;
• a D.C. area resident for at least five years prior to his or her appointment;
• an active member of the D.C. bar for at least 5 years;
• a professor at a D.C. law school or an attorney employed by the U.S. or D.C. government; and
• under the age of 74 (retirement at 74 is mandatory).^[6][7]

Selection of the chief judge

The chief judge of the court is designated by the judicial nominating commission. He or she serves in that capacity for four years.^[6]

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state supreme courts

When a vacancy occurs, the President of the United States appoints a successor from a list of names provided by a nominating commission. The appointment requires confirmation by the U.S. Senate. The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.

See also

Washington, D.C.	Judicial Selection	More Courts
Courts in Washington, D.C. District of Columbia Court of Appeals Superior Court of the District of Columbia	Elections: 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 Gubernatorial appointments Judicial selection in Washington, D.C.	Federal courts State courts Local courts

External links

Footnotes

v • e District of Columbia Court of Appeals Judicial selection in Washington, D.C. • Caseloads • Senior justices
Current	Chief Judge: Anna Blackburne-Rigsby   •  Corinne Ann Beckwith  •  Catharine Easterly  •  Roy W. McLeese  •  Joshua Deahl  •  John Howard (District of Columbia)  •  Vijay Shanker  •  Loren AliKhan (District of Columbia)