Fern Flanagan Saddler (born May 17, 1955) is a former associate judge on the

Superior Court of the District of Columbia The Superior Court of the District of Columbia, commonly referred to as DC Superior Court, is the trial court for the District of Columbia, in the United States. It hears cases involving Criminal justice, criminal, Civil law (common law), civi ...

Education and career

Saddler earned her

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

from

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...

in 1976, and her

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from

Georgetown University Law Center Georgetown University Law Center is the Law school in the United States, law school of Georgetown University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law ...

in 1979. After graduating, she worked in private practice as an attorney at ''Mitchell, Shorter & Gartrell''. In 1984, she joined the District of Columbia Office of Bar Counsel as an Assistant Bar Counsel where she investigated complaints of attorney misconduct. In 1988, she joined the

District of Columbia Court of Appeals The District of Columbia Court of Appeals is the highest court of the District of Columbia, the capital city of the United States. The court was established in 1942 as the Municipal Court of Appeals, and it has been the court of last resort ...

as a Senior Staff Attorney.

D.C. Superior Court

From 1991 to September 2003, Saddler served a Magistrate Judge (formerly known as Hearing Commissioner) of the

. On June 11, 2002, President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

nominated Saddler to be an associate judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Her nomination expired on November 20, 2002, with the end of the 107th United States Congress. President George W. Bush renominated her on January 7, 2003, to a 15-year term as an associate judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to the seat vacated by Patricia A. Wynn. On June 18, 2003, the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs held a hearing on her nomination. On June 26, 2003, the Committee reported her nomination favorably to the senate floor. On June 27, 2003, the full

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

confirmed her nomination by

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "by live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by respondin ...

. She was sworn in on September 12, 2003. On April 30, 2018, the Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure recommended that

President Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021. ...

reappoint her to second 15-year term as a judge on the D.C. Superior Court. She retired on April 22, 2022.

Personal life

Saddler was born and raised in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. She is married to Reverend Paul Harvey Saddler, an ordained minister in the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a socially liberal mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Restorationist, Continental Reformed, and Lutheran t ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saddler, Fern Flanagan 1955 births Living people 21st-century American judges 21st-century American women judges Georgetown University Law Center alumni Judges of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia Lawyers from Baltimore Wellesley College alumni