Retired Superior Court Judge Bruce Mencher Passes Away
February 23, 2022
Judge Bruce S. Mencher, who served on the D.C. Superior Court for four decades and who was well known in the legal community for his passion for both law and music, passed away on February 17 at age 86.
D.C. Superior Court Chief Judge Anita Josey-Herring remembers Mencher, who retired in 2015, as a “civil servant who always put people first.” One of Mencher’s lasting legacies at the court was the establishment of Adoption Day in 1986.
“He was always aware of the influence a judge could have inside and well beyond the walls of their courtroom,” Josey-Herring said. “As the creator of D.C. Superior Court’s Annual Adoption Day, Judge Mencher was a lifetime advocate for children in Washington, D.C., helping and celebrating all of those [who] play such instrumental roles in finding hundreds and hundreds of children their deserving forever families and homes.”
In a 2021 interview with Washington Lawyer, Mencher said his philosophy for being an effective judge was “to be fair and be able to listen closely to both sides.” There is no such thing as an unimportant case, he said. “Cases are not fungible; people are not fungible. [Effective] judges pretty much approach every case on its merits and are dispassionate. They come up with what they think is the correct answer without being pressured by anybody to come to that answer.”
Mencher was born on May 21, 1935, in Washington, D.C., where he lived throughout his life. After graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School, he earned his bachelor of arts and juris doctor degrees at George Washington University. He began his career after law school in 1960 with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of the General Counsel through an honors program. He then served as assistant corporation counsel for the District of Columbia between 1961 and 1967 before working with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) between 1967 and 1969.
While working at USAID, Mencher became a part owner of a gallery of African art. “I was legal counsel for Africa and residual European affairs,” Mencher told Washington Lawyer. “As a result of that, I became very close friends with [international people], and we opened an art gallery. The gallery was nonprofit; we never made money. But it was fun.”
Mencher entered the private sector in 1969 when he joined the Wilkes Artis law firm as counsel and partner. In the early 1970s he began contemplating becoming a judge. He was appointed to the Superior Court on October 14, 1975, by President Gerald Ford and assumed senior status in 1991.
In his long tenure on the bench, Mencher recognized the importance of being surrounded by strong mentors. “It can be a very lonely job at the very beginning unless you have somebody to go to. I had quite a few mentors that sort of took me under their wing,” Mencher said. When asked what advice he would give anyone considering a career in the judiciary, Mencher responded: “You’ve got to have a sense of humor or a sense of balance because it is going to get a little rough some days in there as a judge.”
An accomplished pianist and composer, Mencher found solace in his love for music. With two grand pianos in his living room, he frequently played classical music and jazz duets with visiting pianists. He was an active member of the Chopin Foundation, and last year he composed what he hoped would become the Washington Nationals’ official fight song.
Mencher, whose wife, Janet, died in 2006, is survived by his two sons, two daughters-in-law, and four grandchildren. The Mencher family is planning a memorial service in May.
