Robert Rigsby
In 2002, Robert Rigsby was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as a judge on the D.C. Superior Court. Before that, he served as the District’s attorney general under Mayor Anthony Williams. But in one week, 47-year-old Rigsby will travel to Iraq as a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve to preside over military courts adjudicating charges against U.S. service members.
Do you consider yourself to be of a specific faith?
I was raised Baptist but my wife is Catholic, and so I consider myself a “Batholic.” Our son attends a Catholic school and we go to Shiloh Baptist Church. I appreciate things about both faiths, but the one thing that is at the core is the belief that there is a higher being than myself that guides and directs our steps. Without faith I don’t think I could be a good father, husband and judge.
You’re about to become a judge of soldiers who’ve been in combat situations incredibly trying for their souls and psyches. Will that change your behavior on the bench?
My behavior will not change just because I am going to serve in Iraq. Justice does not change because of location and circumstance. It is important that our sense of justice stays with us in a war zone and in Washington, D.C. It is most important that we realize America is entrusting their sons and daughters to the United States military, and our country deserves a judge that will administer justice in Iraq and Kuwait just as it is administered in the United States.
How has your own military experience influenced your career as a judge?
The same amount of leadership, discipline and decisiveness needed as an officer is the same amount need as a trial court judge. I have served my country for over 28 years, and it has afforded me an opportunity to be a stronger leader in and out of the courtroom.
The military expects us to lead in the most stressful of times on the battlefield. I apply those same traits in the courtroom.
Did anyone or any event especially influence your faith or your path in life?
More than any other person or event, I have been moved and called to service by three very important people. My mom and dad told me the path I should take and influenced my decision-making. They taught me to commit to service and to rely on my faith. And my wife, Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, through her faith is allowing me to make one of the most supreme sacrifices anyone could make.
You’ve spent much of your career in major leadership roles on the courts and for the District of Columbia. What style of leadership honed from those experiences will be most needed at this time in Iraq?
I once read that the greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure. That is why courage is what I must show and instill in those around me.
At your core, what is one of your defining beliefs?
I believe that through faith anything and everything is possible. My parents relied on faith to raise my brother and I, and it is that same faith that is allowing me to leave my family for a six-month tour of duty in Iraq.
