Hon. Anita Josey-Herring Named 2022 WBA Woman of the Year

The Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia (WBA) will recognize the Honorable Anita Josey-Herring as the 2022 WBA Woman Lawyer of the Year. When she was named as Chief Judge of the District of Columbia Superior Court in October 2020, she became the first woman to hold the position.

The Woman Lawyer of the Year Award recognizes a leader who has championed change in the profession by leading by example, advocating for justice, and promoting the advancement of women in the profession. 

Chief Judge Josey-Herring serves as the chief administrative judicial officer for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, and spokesperson for the Court. She is responsible for dividing the cases that come before the Court, which includes the Family Court, Probate and Tax, Domestic Violence, Criminal, and Civil Divisions. She also designates the Presiding and Deputy Presiding Judges of each Division and makes judicial assignments. As a member of the Joint Committee on Judicial Administration, she sets policy and procedure for the Court and oversees the budget. In addition to her tireless work on the bench, Chief Judge Josey-Herring has been an ardent supporter of others, an active and engaged member of the legal community, and a mentor to many. She is an active member of the Women’s Bar Association – among many other organizations in the community – and has mentored attorneys in the WBA’s Mentor program. She has been a panelist at WBA events, speaking about effective oral advocacy and how 
gender and race impact the way women lawyers are perceived (including Where are the Black Women Lawyers in Leadership Positions? and Celebrating Representation: The First Black Woman on the U.S. Supreme Court).

Chief Judge Josey-Herring will be introduced by our 2021 Woman Lawyer of the Year, Grace Speights, Partner, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP.

The event will include keynote remarks by Elizabeth Prelogar, the 48th Solicitor General of the United States. As Solicitor General, she is responsible for conducting and supervising all Supreme Court litigation on behalf of the United States. The Solicitor General also determines whether appeals will be taken by the federal government to all appellate courts and whether the federal government will file an amicus curiae brief or intervene in any appellate court. Solicitor General Prelogar has focused her career on Supreme Court and appellate litigation and has served in multiple roles at the Department of Justice.

The 2022 WBA/WBA Foundation Annual Dinner and awards ceremony will take place at the National Building Museum on Thursday, May 19, 2022. The general reception begins at 6:30pm; dinner and program begin at 7:00pm.

Click here for ticket information.