Gladys Kessler

Judge Kessler was appointed to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in July 1994. She received a B.A. from Cornell University and an LL.B. from Harvard Law School. Following graduation, Judge Kessler was employed by the National Labor Relations Board, served as Legislative Assistant to a U.S. Senator and a U.S. Congressman, worked for the New York City Board of Education, and then opened a public interest law firm. In June 1977, she was appointed Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. From 1981 to 1985, Judge Kessler served as Presiding Judge of the Family Division and was a major architect of one of the nation’s first Multi-Door Courthouses. She served as President of the National Association of Women Judges from 1983 to 1984, served on the Executive Committee and as vice president of the ABA’s Conference of Federal Trial Judges, and on the U.S. Judicial Conference’s Committee on Court Administration and Management for six years. Judge Kessler currently co-chairs the Committee of the National Academy of Sciences on the Development of the Third Edition of the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence of the Federal Judicial Center. She is vice-chairperson of the District of Columbia Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure.

Judge

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

1994 - Current

Assumed senior status on January 22, 2007.

Associate judge

Superior Court of the District of Columbia

1977 - 1994

Attorney

Private practice, Washington, D.C.

1969 - 1977

Special assistant, director of Office of Staff Relations

New York City Board of Education

1968 - 1969

Legislative assistant

U.S. Rep. Jonathan Bingham, New York

1966 - 1968

Legislative assistant

U.S. Sen. Harrison A. Williams, New Jersey

1964 - 1966

Appellate attorney

National Labor Relations Board

1962 - 1964

Harvard Law School

LL.B. (1962)

Cornell University

B.A. (1959)

Committee of the National Academy of Sciences on the Development of the Third Edition of the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence of the Federal Judicial Center

Co-Chair

Current

District of Columbia Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure

Vice-chairperson

Current

National Association of Women Judges

President

1983 - 1984