It took awhile to get there, but three nominees to join the D.C. Superior Court as associate judges finally had their hearing today.

For each of the three nominees, the hearing had been a long time coming. Carol Dalton, currently a magistrate judge in the Superior Court's Family Court, had waited two and a half years; Heidi Pasichow, an assistant

U.S. attorney, a little more than 20 months; and Anthony Epstein, a partner at Steptoe & Johnson, 18 months.

According to a press statement from Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), the hearing had been delayed because of a technical error in the District of Columbia Family Court Act of 2001. The act increased the number of judges for the Family Court but failed to raise the overall cap on D.C. Superior Court judges. Until legislation corrected the error this spring, judges who retired couldn't be replaced.

In their testimony in front of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, the three nominees outlined a few areas of the court that they would like to improve if confirmed.

Dalton told the committee, which was represented by Akaka and Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio), that during her six years as a magistrate judge for the court, she has grown and seen a need to move cases forward as quickly as possible. "As Chief Judge [Rufus] King likes to say, ‘justice delayed is justice denied," Dalton said, referring to the Superior Court's retiring chief judge. "As a judge, I would issue my judgments more quickly and help to broaden the access of the court through technology."

Pasichow and Epstein tended to take the lead from Dalton, citing and building upon her insider's view of the court.

Epstein says the court has a particular challenge in moving cases forward quickly because of the sheer number of cases, especially in the Family Court. "The process is so intimidating and so frightening to people who aren't familiar with it," Epstein says. He says the time he spends at the court's Self-Help Center has allowed him to connect with some of the families who have used the center.

Pasichow says the key to fostering trust in the judicial system is to become more involved in the community. "When one person says they have gained a more positive perception of the criminal justice system, we're one step closer to where we are should be heading," Pasichow says.

Posted by Jeff Jeffrey on July 23, 2008 at 05:35 PM

http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2008/07/after-delay-nom.html