Judge Bios

Judge Designate Mize was born in Chicago, Illinois. He earned a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree

in Philosophy in 1968 from the St. Mary of the Lake campus of Loyola University of

Chicago and an S.T.B. degree in Sacred Theology from St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in

1970. He has resided in Washington, D.C. since 1970 when he began his legal studies at

the Georgetown University Law Center.

Upon obtaining his Juris Doctor Degree from Georgetown in 1973, Mr. Mize

became an associate in the law firm of Karr Graves where he engaged in civil and criminal

litigation. In 1975 he was appointed Staff Director and Counsel to the D.C. Council’s

Committee on the Judiciary. For the next seven years, Mr. Mize was the architect of

legislation governing administrative procedure, fiduciary relations, and criminal law. He

managed budgetary oversight of the District’s public safety and court operations. He also

designed and implemented the process by which D.C. statutes are prepared and

published.

Since 1983, Council has unanimously appointed Mr. Mize to be its General

Counsel. in that capacity, the has been: counselor and draftsman for hundreds of new

statutes–certifying the legal and technical sufficiency of all permanent legislation prior to full

Council consideration and vote; chief of litigation in matters involving legislative

independence; manager of the eleven-member Office of General Counsel; parliamentarian

and ethics counselor for the full legislature and its standing committees; representative of the

Council in matters pending in the Congress such as the successful effort in 1984 to amend

the District’s home rule charter to give the Council a valid legislative veto; and legal advisor

for the internal management of the Council’s annual appropriation with special attention to

personnel and contracting. As the chief legal officer to the District’s legislative branch, he has

enjoyed a special opportunity to bridge Washington’s business, political and social

communities.

Throughout his legal career, Judge Designate Mize has volunteered his time to

improve the administration of justice and the art of lawyering in the District of Columbia.He

has served on numerous D.C. Bar committees and intergovernmental boards including

service as chair of the D.C. Affairs Section of the D.C. Bar (1978-1979) and founding

membership on the Council for Court Excellence, Inc. He taught as an adjunct professor of

law at the Antioch School of Law (1982-1986) and at the Georgetown University Law

Center (1985-1988). He has been particularly devoted to those with developmental

disabilities, having served in various roles through the Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Institute, Inc.

Mr. Mize is married to Marisa Giedt Mize who is a critical care nurse and educator.

They are the proud parents of four children.