The United States District Court for the District of Columbia is a federal district court in Washington,D.C. Along with the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii and the High Court of American Samoa,it also sometimes handles federal issues that arise in the territory of American Samoa,which has no local federal court or territorial court. Appeals from the District Court are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act,which are appealed to the Federal Circuit.
Crime in Washington,D.C.,is directly related to the city's demographics,geography,and unique criminal justice system. The District's population reached a peak of 802,178 in 1950. Shortly after that,the city began losing residents,and by 1980 Washington had lost one-quarter of its population. The population loss to the suburbs also created a new demographic pattern,which divided affluent neighborhoods west of Rock Creek Park from the less well-off neighborhoods to the east.
The Superior Court of the District of Columbia,commonly referred to as DC Superior Court,is the trial court for the District of Columbia,in the United States. It hears cases involving criminal and civil law,as well as family court,landlord and tenant,probate,tax and driving violations. All appeals of Superior Court decisions go to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.
The District of Columbia has a mayor–council government that operates under Article One of the United States Constitution and the District of Columbia Home Rule Act. The Home Rule Act devolves certain powers of the United States Congress to the local government,which consists of a mayor and a 13-member council. However,Congress retains the right to review and overturn laws created by the council and intervene in local affairs.
Mark Robert Filip is an American lawyer specializing in class action and white collar criminal and regulatory defense. Formerly a partner at Skadden,Arps,he currently practices in the Washington,D.C. office of Kirkland and Ellis. From 2004 until 2008,Filip served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. As the George W. Bush administration ended,Filip served as Deputy Attorney General of the United States,and as the Barack Obama administration began he briefly served as acting attorney general.
Marisa J. Demeo is an associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
Kelly Higashi is an associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. In February 2018,Higashi was nominated by President Donald Trump to a 15-year term as an associate judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 12,2018,and her investiture was on October 26,2018.
James Andrew Crowell IV is an associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. In January 2019,Crowell was nominated by President Donald Trump to a 15-year term as an associate judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on August 1,2019. His official investiture ceremony took place on January 31,2020.
Shana Frost Matini is an American lawyer and jurist serving as an associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Matini served as a magistrate judge on the Superior Court from 2016 to 2019.
Rainey Ransom Brandt is an associate judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
Andrea Lynn Hertzfeld is an associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
Kimberley Sherri Knowles is an associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. She served as a magistrate judge of the same court from 2010 to 2012.
Peter Arno Krauthamer is an American jurist. He is a former associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
John Francis McCabe,Jr. is an associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
Anthony Charles Epstein is an associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
Zinora M. Mitchell-Rankin is a senior judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
Ebony M. Scott is an American lawyer who has served as an associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia since 2022. She previously served as a magistrate judge of the same court from 2020 to 2022.
Kendra Davis Briggs is an American lawyer who has served as an associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia since 2023. She previously was an assistant United States attorney from 2010 to 2023.
Carl Ezekiel Ross is an American lawyer who has served as an associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia since 2023. He previously as counsel to the United States House of Representatives from 2017 to 2023.
Veronica M. Sanchez is an American lawyer who has served as an associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia since 2023.
