Former D.C. Bar President Susie Hoffman Among CCE’s Justice Potter Stewart Awardees
May 15, 2025
The Council for Court Excellence (CCE) held its 28th annual Justice Potter Stewart Award Dinner at the Organization of American States on May 13, recognizing individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the law, legal system, courts, and administration of justice in the District. The honorees included Susan M. Hoffman, public service partner at Crowell & Moring LLP; Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr., president of Howard University Hospital; and Ariel Levinson-Waldman, founding president and director-counsel of Tzedek DC.
“I’m happy that CCE is stable right now because we can see in the news that many national justice organizations are shutting down integral programs,” said CCE Chair Marianela Peralta. “We are fortunate not to be reliant on federal grants for our work, so that’s the good news. The bad news is that the need for our work has only grown.”
CCE is a nonprofit, nonpartisan civic organization focused on the improvement of the D.C. Courts, as well as the civil, criminal, and youth justice systems. Peralta said the reduction or elimination of funding for sister advocacy organizations has left significant gaps for CCE to fill.
James J. Sandman, president emeritus of the Legal Services Corporation and 2013 recipient of the Justice Potter Stewart Award, introduced Hoffman, who served as D.C. Bar president in 2019–2020. “Susie is a leader among leaders in improving access to justice in our community,” Sandman said, recounting Hoffman’s past leadership positions at the Bar, the DC Bar Foundation, and the Washington Council of Lawyers, among others. He noted that her 1988 hire by Crowell & Moring made her the nation’s first full-time pro bono counsel and then first pro bono partner.
In her speech, Hoffman expressed pride in her firm and colleagues. “My career has been premised on my belief in the value of pro bono — to improve the fairness of our justice system, to increase accessibility for every citizen, to make us better lawyers and better human beings,” Hoffman said.
Attendees also celebrated Mitchell, chief medical examiner for Washington, D.C., from 2014 to 2021, interim D.C. deputy mayor for public safety and justice, and president-elect of the National Medical Association, the oldest and largest organization of Black physicians in the United States.
On the issue of public safety and justice, Mitchell described violence as a symptom. “It’s a manifestation of the disease,” he said. “It’s like a cough to a cold … you can’t see the virus; you can only hear the cough. Violence is the cough of a diseased system, so it is not enough to treat violence, to respond to violence, to try to eradicate violence — because if you’re not treating the disease, then the symptom will come back. It’s a symptom that disinherits the poor, marginalizes the different, and makes those that feel less-than even worse-than.”
“The work, for our community, is not a spectator sport. You can’t do this work from the C-suite. This work is done in the streets,” Mitchell continued.
Levinson-Waldman was recognized for his work with Tzedek DC, a nonprofit organization focused on helping people with legal problems arising from debt. In his speech, Levinson-Waldman encouraged attendees to join his organization in its efforts to ensure that young people in the District have access to asset-building tools and timely training in financial literacy. “We are so grateful to receive this recognition,” he said.
In his closing, Levinson-Waldman referred back to Peralta’s opening comments on the current landscape for nonprofit legal advocates and the communities they serve. “For so many of us here, in 2025 there are enormous challenges when it comes to justice and related issues. Tonight has given me hope, and I hope that it has given you a little bit of hope too … We must be unswerving and uncompromising in our pursuit of a more fair and just D.C,” he said.
Established in 1997, the Justice Potter Stewart Award honors the late associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1958 to 1981) known for his contributions to criminal justice reform, civil rights, access to the courts, and Fourth Amendment jurisprudence.
