By Jeremy Conrad
Each year the D.C. Bar Judicial Evaluation Committee invites Bar members who have appeared before certain selected judges on the D.C. Court of Appeals and D.C. Superior Court to provide feedback on the judges’ performance. The 2025–2026 judicial evaluation survey opened on November 12, 2025, and closes on January 9, 2026.
The D.C. Bar has partnered with Research USA, an independent research organization, to administer the survey to ensure confidentiality. Eligible members should have received email messages directly from the vendor.
At the end of the survey period, the Judicial Evaluation Committee will present the confidential and anonymous results to the chief judges of the D.C. Courts, to the District of Columbia Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure (CJDT), and to the individual judges selected for evaluation.
Washington Lawyer spoke with CJDT Chair Amy L. Bess about the importance of the survey in strengthening the administration of justice at the D.C. Courts. Below is an excerpt of that interview.
On the role of the commission in supporting the courts.
Bess: We see the commission as a body that is designed to support D.C. judges in terms of their professional success on the bench because a judge’s professional success means successful courts, and that’s really core to what the commission is about.
We do everything in our power to ensure that the D.C. Courts can maintain the public’s trust in their independence and competence. That means we need to support our judicial system and retain the highest quality judges who are absolutely committed to public safety and access to justice for our community. When we learn about a judge who may be struggling, we can potentially intervene and provide support to the judge before that issue manifests as an ethical or judicial demeanor issue. So, it’s important for us to hear information early on that we can use to work with our judges to ensure they succeed, stay on the bench, and thrive. That is where the Bar’s judicial evaluation process plays an important role.
I think historically the commission was viewed differently. Judges saw us wholly as a disciplinary body that would crack down on a judge whenever the public complained about an issue relating to ethics or integrity. We were to be avoided at all costs. That is not the way we see our highest and best use.
Obviously, it is part of our statutory mission to investigate complaints, and that is a big part of what we do. And we also are very deeply involved in conducting fitness reviews when judges come up for reappointment, so we take a very thoughtful and close, meaningful look at the judge’s entire record to make our reappointment decisions and recommendations.
Most importantly, we are a supportive body for the courts. It’s our goal to make sure that all our judges on the D.C. Courts thrive, succeed, flourish, and serve the public at large.
On the value of attorney feedback on judges’ performance.
Bess: The judicial evaluations conducted by the D.C. Bar are one of the tools that we rely upon to gather real-time information about how our judges are doing.
The judicial survey has, in some respects, a natural limitation in that it’s an anonymous process. We certainly take into account the fact that someone is reporting information anonymously about a judge as we evaluate the information that we’re receiving. But when we have multiple attorneys who have appeared before a judge, and who are consistently reporting on very specific and direct experiences they had with that judge, that is important and credible information that can inform our perspective, along with various other inputs, of course.
It’s also important for us to hear how judges are succeeding on the bench, so the positive feedback that we get through the judicial evaluation process is equally critical to us. We are making a very concerted effort to bring judges in to talk to the commission about their successes, as opposed to just talking to judges if they receive a troubling judicial evaluation.
On why attorneys should participate in the survey.
Bess: Right now, the D.C. Courts are struggling with a variety of challenges due to the number of judicial vacancies that exist both on D.C. Superior Court and the D.C. Court of Appeals at a time when case filings and prosecutions are very high.
Our judges are working harder than ever before. We have a number of senior judges who are working the maximum number of hours that are legally authorized, and many of our senior judges are actually volunteering their time to work additional hours just because of the crush of work on the courts and their desire to help their colleagues and the courts. They’re also devoting countless additional hours serving on committees, training and mentoring junior judges, helping draft and revise rules, and doing all kinds of additional work that goes above and beyond the time that they’re devoting to their cases both in and out of the courtroom.
So, we think that it’s so important for attorneys to participate in this process because it enables all those judges who are doing such heroic work to be validated, applauded, and appreciated for the good work they’re doing to serve our community.
And when we learn that there are some gaps in the process, the evaluations help us intervene immediately by offering resources and support that may be helpful in proactively addressing any concerns.
Attorneys who participate in the judicial surveys are helping us meet our statutory mission and are supporting the excellence of our D.C. Courts. The commission is very grateful for that support.
Reach D.C. Bar staff writer Jeremy Conrad at [email protected].
