Norton Praises Chief Judge King as He Retires (5/13/08)

Norton Praises Chief Judge King as He Retires

May 13, 2008

Washington, DC - Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) offered high praise for Chief Judge Rufus G. King III, who has decided to retire as Chief Judge and take senior status when his current term expires in September after eight years as Chief Judge and 23 years on the District of Columbia Superior Court. Norton said that during his tenure, "Chief Judge King successfully carried out the most important changes in the Superior Court since it was established at the beginning of home rule." She cited the District of Columbia Family Court Act of 2001 that she sponsored to assure that family matters would receive focused attention from Superior Court judges. Family Court judges are now assigned to a new Family Court division for a definite period instead of the previous system that required all 58 Superior Court judges to carry family and child cases. Norton worked closely with Rep. Tom DeLay when he was House Majority Leader on the bill, and DeLay was instrumental in helping Norton secure millions of dollars for new judges, magistrates and Family Court space. Chief Judge King has worked with the Chief Judge of the D.C. Court of Appeals on the renovation and consolidation underway for which Norton has gotten federal funding. Most recently, Norton worked with King on a bill to increase the number of judges at the Superior Court, signed into law by President Bush in April.