Composition; appointment, qualifications, tenure, salaries, and oath of judges; removal

§ 11–902. Composition; appointment, qualifications, tenure, salaries, and oath of judges; removal (a) The District of Columbia Court of General Sessions shall consist of a chief judge and fifteen associate judges appointed by the President of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. (b) A person may not be appointed as a judge of the court unless he: (1) is a bona fide resident of the area consisting of the District of Columbia, Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties in Maryland, Arlington and Fairfax Counties in Virginia, and the city of Alexandria, Virginia, and has maintained an actual place of abode in the area for at least five years prior to his appointment; and (2) has been a member of the bar of the District of Columbia for a period of at least five years, and, for a period of at least five consecutive years immediately prior to his appointment, either has been actively engaged in the practice of law or has been employed as an attorney in the District in the government of the United States or in the government of the District of Columbia. (c) Each judge shall be appointed or reappointed for a term of ten years each, which terms shall be staggered as heretofore provided for; and he shall continue in office until the appointment and qualification of his successor. (d) The chief judge shall receive an annual salary of $18,000, and each associate judge shall receive an annual salary of $17,500. (e) Each judge, when appointed, shall take the oath prescribed for judges of courts of the United States. (f) A judge may be removed only in the manner and for the causes provided for the removal of Federal judges.