[Pages S4445-S4446]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

COMMENDING ANNICE M. WAGNER, CHIEF JUDGE OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
COURT OF APPEALS

Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs be discharged from further
consideration of S. Res. 107 and the Senate now proceed to its
immediate consideration.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so
ordered. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:

A resolution (S. Res. 107) commending Annice M. Wagner,
Chief Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, for
her public service.

There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the
preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid on the
table.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 107) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

S. Res. 107

Whereas Annice M. Wagner, Chief Judge of the District of
Columbia Court of Appeals, entered Federal Government service
in 1973 as the first woman to be appointed General Counsel of
the National Capital Housing Authority, then a Federal
agency;
Whereas, from 1975 to 1977, the Honorable Annice M. Wagner
served as People's Counsel for the District of Columbia, an
office created by Congress to represent the interests

[[Page S4446]]

of utility consumers before the District of Columbia Public
Service Commission and the District of Columbia Court of
Appeals;
Whereas, in 1977, the Honorable Annice M. Wagner was
appointed by President Carter and confirmed by the Senate to
serve as an Associate Judge of the Superior Court for the
District of Columbia;
Whereas, while serving as an Associate Judge of the
Superior Court, the Honorable Annice M. Wagner served in the
civil, criminal, family, probate, and tax divisions and
served for 2 years as presiding judge of the probate and tax
divisions;
Whereas, while serving as an Associate Judge of the
Superior Court, Annice M. Wagner served on various
commissions and committees to improve the District of
Columbia judicial system, including serving as chairperson of
the Committee on Selection and Tenure of Hearing
Commissioners, and as a member of the Superior Court Rules
Committee and the Sentencing Guidelines Commission;
Whereas, as an Associate Judge of the Superior Court,
Annice M. Wagner served as chairperson of the Court's
Advisory Committee on Probate and Fiduciary Rules and was
largely responsible for the implementation of new rules
intended to streamline and clarify procedures regarding
missing, protected, and incapacitated individuals;
Whereas, as an Associate Judge of the Superior Court, the
Honorable Annice M. Wagner served as chairperson of the Task
Force on Gender Bias in the Courts, which conducted a
comprehensive study of bias in the courts;
Whereas, under Annice M. Wagner's leadership, the District
of Columbia courts established the Standing Committee on
Fairness and Access to the Courts to ensure racial, gender,
and ethnic fairness;
Whereas Annice M. Wagner was appointed by President George
H.W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate in 1990 to be an
Associate Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals;
Whereas Annice M. Wagner was appointed in 1994 to serve as
Chief Judge of the District Court of Appeals;
Whereas, while Chief Judge of the District of Columbia
Court of Appeals, Annice M. Wagner served as Chair of the
Joint Committee on Judicial Administration in the District of
Columbia;
Whereas, under Annice M. Wagner's leadership, the District
of Columbia courts initiated the renovation of the Old
District of Columbia Courthouse (Old City Hall) in Judiciary
Square, a National Historic Landmark, for future use by the
District of Columbia Court of Appeals;
Whereas, under Annice M. Wagner's leadership, the District
of Columbia courts initiated the master planning process for
the renovation and use of unused or underutilized court
properties, which will lead to the revitalization of the
Judiciary Square area in the Nation's Capital;
Whereas, under Annice M. Wagner's leadership, the Court of
Appeals, along with the District of Columbia Bar, the
District of Columbia Bar Foundation, and the District of
Columbia Consortium of Legal Service Providers, established
the District of Columbia Access to Justice Commission, a
commission that will propose ways to make lawyers and the
legal system more available for poor individuals in the
District of Columbia;
Whereas Annice M. Wagner served as President of the
Conference of Chief Justices, an organization of Chief
Justices and Chief Judges of the highest court of each of the
50 States, the District of Columbia, and the territories;
Whereas Annice M. Wagner served as Chairperson of the Board
of Directors of the National Center for State Courts;
Whereas the Honorable Annice M. Wagner commands wide
respect within the legal profession nationally, having been
selected to serve as one of 11 members of the American Bar
Association's Section on Dispute Resolution's Drafting
Committee on the Uniform Mediation Act, which collaborated
with the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform
State Laws in promulgating the Uniform Mediation Act, which,
in 2001, was approved and recommended for enactment in all of
the States, to foster prompt, economical, and amicable
resolution of disputes through mediation processes which
promote public confidence and uniformity across state lines;
Whereas, since 1979, Annice M. Wagner has been involved
with the United Planning Organization, which was established
in 1962 to conduct initiatives designed to provide human
services in the District of Columbia and she has served as
Interim President of the Organization's Board of Trustees;
Whereas, since 1986, Annice M. Wagner has participated as a
member of a teaching team for the Trial Advocacy Workshop at
Harvard Law School;
Whereas Annice M. Wagner, Chief Judge of the District of
Columbia Court of Appeals, was born in the District of
Columbia and attended District of Columbia Public Schools and
received her Bachelor's and law degrees from Wayne State
University in Detroit, Michigan; and
Whereas Annice M. Wagner's dedication to public service and
the citizens of the District of Columbia has contributed to
the improvement of the judicial system, increased equal
access to justice, and advanced public confidence in the
court system: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate commends the Honorable Annice M.
Wagner for her commitment and dedication to public service,
the judicial system, equal access to justice, and the
community.

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