THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release October 13, 1993

PRESIDENT NAMES DIAZ TO D.C. COURT

President Clinton announced today that he will nominate Rafael Diaz to be an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The President is empowered by statute to choose D.C. Superior Court judges from a list submitted by a local nominating commission.

"Rafael Diaz has proven himself with a decade's service to the District of Columbia," said the President. "His solid record and his reputation for competence have been widely noted, and he has been strongly recommended by a wide range of people. I expect him to be an outstanding judge."

Diaz has served since 1984 as Assistant Corporation Counsel for the District of Columbia, a key legal position in the D.C. government. He previously worked as an attorney in general practice, and as an associate in the law firm of Hayes & White. He also served as a law clerk in the D.C. Office of People's Counsel.

A Navy veteran, Diaz began his career as a clerk in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York while studying at the City College of New York. After working for four years as a deputy clerk and three years as a Court Clerk for Judge Edward R. Neaher, Diaz entered the Antioch College of Law, where he received his J.D. in 1981.

Diaz, 49, was born in Puerto Rico and currently lives in the District of Columbia. He and his wife, the former Martha Ann Ortiz, have two children.

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