[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 137 (Monday, September 12, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1251]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING CHIEF JUDGE LEE F. SATTERFIELD

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 12, 2016

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues in the 
House of Representatives to join me in honoring Chief Judge Lee F. 
Satterfield, Chief Judge of the Superior Court of the District of 
Columbia, who will be completing his final term as Chief Judge on 
September 30, 2016. Chief Judge Satterfield's service has been notable 
not only for its excellence but for his genuine care for and commitment 
to serving the people of the District of Columbia.
  A proud Washingtonian and graduate of St. John's College High School, 
Judge Satterfield received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the 
University of Maryland. From an early age, he drew inspiration from his 
father, who withdrew his application for a judicial position on the 
Superior Court of the District of Columbia after hearing that his 
teenage son had been diagnosed with bone cancer. Chief Judge 
Satterfield always recalled how his father relinquished his own dreams 
to help his son through a difficult time of his childhood. His father 
always told him to deal with people as he would want them to deal with 
him. The judge's commitment and perseverance are evident in the career 
path he chose. Throughout his 30-year career, Lee Satterfield has 
played an important role in the administration of justice. After 
receiving his Juris Doctor from George Washington University National 
Law School in 1983, he was appointed to serve as an Assistant United 
States Attorney for the District of Columbia. In that position, he 
served in the appellate, grand jury, misdemeanor and felony sections of 
the United States Attorney's Office.
  In September 1988, Judge Satterfield joined the law firm of Sachs, 
Greenebaum and Taylor, before serving as a trial attorney for the 
Organized Crime and Racketeering Section of the United States 
Department of Justice. In that section, he prosecuted organized crime 
and labor racketeering crimes in the federal courts of the District of 
Columbia, Pennsylvania, and Illinois.
  Chief Judge Satterfield first served on the Superior Court bench in 
November 1992, as an appointee of President Bush. He originally served 
in the court's Criminal, Civil, Family, and Domestic Violence 
divisions, and went on to serve as one of the court's original Drug 
Court judges. During this time, Judge Satterfield was also a member of 
several national and regional advocacy organizations, such as the 
National Advisory Committee on Domestic Violence, the District of 
Columbia Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative Committee and the 
Citywide Truancy Task Force. In this capacity, Judge Satterfield 
authored unprecedented regulations for domestic violence court 
operations and piloted a Middle School Truancy Court Diversion Program 
in District of Columbia Public Schools.
  In September 2008, Judge Satterfield was inaugurated as Chief Judge 
of the Superior Court. As Chief Judge, Judge Satterfield oversaw 112 
Superior Court judges and launched several effective initiatives. He 
started programs that ensured the accurate prosecution of self-
represented parties, allowed tenants to easily report their landlords 
for violations, and authorized an increased technological presence in 
the courtroom. He also streamlined and prioritized the Superior Court's 
jury selection process, directed a $63 million renovation of the 
courthouse, and founded a specialized behavioral court that afforded 
juveniles a chance to reduce or eliminate charges against them if they 
complied with treatment. Chief Judge Satterfield also, notably, oversaw 
the implementation of new marriage equality laws in the District and 
expanded the community court initiative, which resulted in 
significantly lower recidivism among those who committed misdemeanors.
  Among all of his other commitments, for over 20 years, Judge 
Satterfield was an adjunct professor at the Catholic University 
Columbus School of Law, where he taught Criminal Trial Practice and 
Advanced Criminal Procedure. He was also a professional lecturer in the 
L.L.M. litigation program at George Washington University National Law 
School for four years.
  Chief Judge Satterfield has shown unusual resilience through medical 
crises later in his life, including a heart transplant and a stroke he 
endured in 2011. He has consistently been a source of inspiration to 
his colleagues and the D.C. community.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Chief Judge 
Lee F. Satterfield for his service to the country, to the District of 
Columbia and our courts, and to wish him the best for the remainder of 
his time on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and for his 
retirement in February 2017.

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