President Obama Nominates Two to Serve on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, President Obama nominated Sherry Moore Trafford and Judge Steven Michael Wellner to serve on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. 

“I am proud to nominate these outstanding candidates to serve on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia,” said President Obama.  “They have a long and distinguished record of service, and I am confident they will serve on the bench with distinction.”

Sherry Moore Trafford: Nominee for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia

Sherry Moore Trafford has worked as a staff attorney in the Mental Health Division of the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia since 2004, where she represents clients in proceedings such as mental health detention and commitment cases.  From 1999 to 2004, Trafford was a staff attorney in the Civil Legal Services Division of the Public Defender Service. From 1997 to 1999, she served as a Skadden Public Interest Law Fellow and staff attorney at the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law.  From 1995 to 1997, Trafford served as a law clerk for Judge William B. Bryant of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Trafford received her J.D. from Yale Law School and her B.A. with honors from Indiana University.

Judge Steven Michael Wellner: Nominee for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia

Steven Michael Wellner is Principal Administrative Law Judge for Unemployment Insurance Appeals for the District of Columbia Office of Administrative Hearings. Prior to his appointment in May 2006, Judge Wellner was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where he focused on environmental counseling for corporations, trade associations, and clients involved in corporate transactions.  In addition, he managed the pro bono legal services program for Kirkland & Ellis’s Washington office and received the John Carroll Society Pro Bono Legal Service Award in 2004.  Judge Wellner received his J.D. from the University of Michigan and his B.A. with high distinction from the University of Virginia.