Superior Court of the District of Columbia

History

19th century

The first judicial systems in the new District of Columbia were established by the United States Congress in 1801. The Circuit Court of the District of Columbia (not to be confused with the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which it later evolved into) was both a trial court of general jurisdiction and an appellate court, and it heard cases under both local and federal law. Congress also established justices of the peace and an orphans' court, which were combined in 1870 into a new local court, called the Police Court, which had jurisdiction over misdemeanors (concurrently with the federal courts) as well as equity powers.

20th century

In 1909, Congress converted the Police Court into the Municipal Court, which became a court of record with jury trials in 1921. In 1963, Congress again converted the Municipal Court into the Court of General Sessions. Its jurisdiction was broader, although the federal courts retained concurrent jurisdiction in criminal cases. Under the District of Columbia Court Reform and Criminal Procedure Act of 1970, the Court of General Sessions was combined with the Juvenile Court, established in 1906, and D.C. Tax Court, established as the local Board of Tax Appeals in 1937, to form the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, a trial court of general and mostly exclusive jurisdiction for D.C.

21st century

As of the 21st century, the court consists of a chief judge and 61 associate judges. The court is assisted by the service of 24 magistrate judges and retired judges who have been recommended and approved as senior judges. When a vacancy occurs on the court, the District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission invites applications. It sends three candidates' names to the President of the United States, who sends one nomination to the U.S. Senate for advice and consent. A judge who is confirmed by the Senate serves for a 15-year term, which is renewable. The Superior Court and the D.C. Court of Appeals, known collectively as the D.C. Courts, comprise the judicial branch of the D.C. local government.

In criminal cases, the government is represented by the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia or the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, depending on the nature and severity of the charges.

Organizational units

• Civil Division – Civil actions and actions in equity; handles temporary restraining orders other than those involving domestic violence.
  • Civil Actions Branch – Amount in controversy above $10,000 or cases requesting equitable relief such as declarative judgments, injunctive relief, writs of attachment
  • Landlord and Tenant Branch – processes cases filed for possession of real property or violations of lease agreements. The Landlord-Tenant Resource Center can assist those who do not have an attorney. It is located in Room 115 of Court Building B (510 Fourth Street, NW) and is open weekdays, from 9:15 to noon.
  • Small Claims and Conciliation Branch – Amount in controversy $10,000 and below. There is a Small Claims Resource Center to assist those without an attorney. It is located in Court Building B, Room 102, and is open from 9:15 to noon on Thursdays.
  • Housing Conditions Calendar handles cases in which landlords are alleged to have not kept their rental property compliant with the D.C. Housing Code.
• Criminal Division – This division handles cases including misdemeanor, felony, and serious traffic offenses. The division also has Community Courts, which take a problem-solving approach to misdemeanor crimes, a drug court, and a mental health court.
• Family Court Operations Division – Family court
  • Family Court Central Intake Center (CIC) – all cases are filed here.
  • Domestic Relations Branch – divorce, legal separation, annulment, child custody, habeas corpus, and adoption
  • Juvenile and Neglect Branch – juvenile delinquency, child abuse and neglect.
  • Paternity and Child Support Branch – establishment of paternity, child support, and wage withholding
  • Marriage Bureau – marriage licenses/records; applications to perform marriage ceremonies in the District of Columbia by authorized ministers and others
  • Mental Health and Habilitation Branch – "hospitalization and continued treatment of persons adjudicated as mentally retarded or in need of mental health services"
  • Counsel for Child Abuse and Neglect Branch is responsible for determining party eligibility for court-appointed counsel in child abuse and neglect proceedings and processes the appointment of attorneys for parties in these cases.
  • Family Court Self Help Center – "provides legal information and assistance to self-represented parties in Family Court Cases."
  • Family Treatment Court –"court-supervised, voluntary, comprehensive residential substance abuse treatment program for mothers/female caretakers whose children are the subject of a child neglect case."
• Domestic Violence Division – Domestic violence – Handles cases of violence by a family member or romantic partner, a person who shares living quarters, with whom one has a child in common, or between a former and current romantic partner. There are two intake centers: 1) the fourth floor of the Moultrie Courthouse, 2) the Medical Center at 1328 Southern Avenue, Suite 311. At either location, those seeking a protection order can meet with police/prosecutor, advocate, file a petition for a stay-away order and/or custody, seek the assistance of the Crime Victims Compensation Program, and talk with an advocate to develop a safety plan.
• Probate Division/Office of the Register of Wills – handles matters relating to estates of those who have died, guardianships and conservatorships for incapacitated adults, and other such matters.
  • Probate Resource Center – those without an attorney can consult volunteer attorneys about probate matters at the Probate Resource Center in Room 316 of Court Building A (515 Fifth Street, NW) 8:30 to 3:30 Monday through Friday.
• Tax Division – Appeals and petitions for review of assessments made by the District of Columbia, as well as all proceedings brought by the District of Columbia for the imposition of criminal penalties according to the provisions of the District of Columbia Code
• Family Court Social Services Division – This division supervises juveniles who are awaiting trial on juvenile charges or who are on probation after pleading or being found involved in a crime.
• Multi-Door Dispute Resolution Division – Mediation and alternative dispute resolution services for those with court cases, as well as a Community Information Referral Program for disputes that have not yet resulted in a lawsuit being filed.
• Special Operations Division
  • Jurors Office
  • Child Care Center
  • Judge-in-Chambers
  • Office of Court Interpreting Services

Active judges

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Vacancies and pending nominations

References

References

1. Goodbread, Ronald A.. (September 1, 2009). "A Brief Topical History of Local and Federal Trial and Appellate Courts in the District of Columbia". Daily Washington Law Reporter.
2. {{cite court. (1923)
3. "Judicial Selection in the States: District of Columbia". American Judicature Society.
4. Affairs, United States Congress Senate Committee on Governmental. (1977). "Nominations to the District of Columbia Superior Court: Hearing Before the Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, Ninety-fifth Congress, First Session ... December 6, 1977". U.S. Government Printing Office.
5. Affairs, United States Congress Senate Committee on Governmental. (1981). "Nomination of Henry F. Greene: Hearing Before the Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, Ninety-seventh Congress, First Session, on Nomination of Henry F. Greene, to be an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, April 2, 1981". U.S. Government Printing Office.
6. Affairs, United States Congress Senate Committee on Governmental. (1984). "Nominations for Superior Court of the District of Columbia: Hearing Before the Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, Ninety-eighth Congress, Second Session, on the Nominations of Emmet G. Sullivan, Colleen C. Kollar-Kotelly, Rufus G. King III, Susan R. Holmes, Noel A. Kramer, Robert I. Richter, and Robert S. Tignor, to be Associate Judges of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, September 11, 1984". U.S. Government Printing Office.
7. Affairs, United States Congress Senate Committee on Governmental. (April 4, 1985). "Nomination of Herbert Blalock Dixon, Jr: Hearing Before the Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, Ninety-fifth Congress, First Session on Nomination of Herbert Blalock Dixon, Jr., to be Associate Judge, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, April 4, 1985". U.S. Government Printing Office.
8. Affairs, United States Congress Senate Committee on Governmental. (1986). "Nominations of Harold L. Cushenberry, Jr., and Michael L. Rankin: Hearing Before the Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, Ninety-ninth Congress, First Session ... to be Associate Judges of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, December 9, 1985". U.S. Government Printing Office.
9. Affairs, United States Congress Senate Committee on Governmental. (February 26, 1988). "Nominations of Frank Ernest Schwelb and Cheryl Marie Long: Hearing Before the Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundredth Congress, Second Session, on Nominations of Frank Ernest Schwelb to be Associate Judge, District of Columbia Court of Appeals, and Cheryl Marie Long to be Associate Judge, District of Columbia Superior Court, February 26, 1988". U.S. Government Printing Office.
10. Affairs, United States Congress Senate Committee on Governmental. (July 20, 1990). "Nominations for Superior Court of the District of Columbia: Hearing Before the Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred First Congress, Second Session, on Nominations of Mary Ellen Abrecht, Kaye K. Christian, Frederick D. Dorsey, Ellen Segal Huvelle, Jose M. Lopez, Joan Z. McAvoy, Gregory E. Mize, Patricia Q. Wynn, John Henry Bayly, Jr., Linda Turner Hamilton, and Stephen G. Milliken, to be Associate Judges ....". U.S. Government Printing Office.
11. (August 3, 1993). "Nomination of Russell Frank Canan: Hearing Before the Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Third Congress, First Session on Nomination of Russell Frank Canan, to be Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, August 3, 1993". U.S. Government Printing Office.
12. (June 29, 1994). "Nominations of Judith Bartnoff, Zoe Alice Bush, and Rhonda Reid Winston: Hearing Before the Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Third Congress, Second Session, on Nominations of Judith Bartnoff, Zoe Alice Bush, and Rhonda Reid Winston to be Associate Judges, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, June 29, 1994". U.S. Government Printing Office.
13. (September 3, 1998). "Nominations of Natalia M. Combs Greene, Patricia A. Broderick, and Neal E. Kravitz: Hearing Before the Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Fifth Congress, Second Session, September 3, 1998, Nominations of ... to be Associate Judges, D.C. Superior Court, Washington, DC.". U.S. Government Printing Office.
14. Affairs, United States Congress Senate Committee on Governmental. (2000). "Nominations of Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, Thomas Motley, and John Mott: Hearing Before the Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Sixth Congress, Second Session, on Nominations of Anne Blackburne-Rigsby, Thomas Motley, and John Mott, to be Associate Judges of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, May 10, 2000". U.S. Government Printing Office.
15. (October 5, 2004). "Nomination of Gregory Eugene Jackson: Hearing Before the Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Eighth Congress, Second Session, on the Nomination of Gregory Eugene Jackson, to be an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, October 5, 2004". U.S. Government Printing Office.
16. "Notice of Judicial Vacancy on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia".
17. (November 1, 2022). "Notice of Judicial Vacancy on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia".
18. (April 10, 2023). "Notice of Judicial Vacancies on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia".
19. (February 5, 2024). "Notice of Judicial Vacancy on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia".
20. (February 27, 2024). "Notice of Judicial Vacancy on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia".
21. (July 9, 2024). "Notice of Judicial Vacancy on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia".
22. (October 29, 2024). "Notice of Judicial Vacancy on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia".
23. (May 16, 2025). "Notice of Judicial Vacancy on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia".
24. (September 9, 2025). "Notice of Judicial Vacancies on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia".