Superior Court of the District of Columbia

Not to be confused with United States District Court for the District of Columbia or District of Columbia Court of Appeals.

Superior Court of the District of Columbia
H. Carl Moultrie Courthouse in 2023
Established	1970
Location	H. Carl Moultrie Courthouse, Judiciary Square, Washington, D.C.
Appeals to	District of Columbia Court of Appeals
Number of positions	62 judges (including chief judge)
Website	www.dccourts.gov
Chief Judge
Currently	Milton C. Lee
Since	October 1, 2024
U.S. Marshal
Currently	Robert Anthony Dixon
Since	December 5, 2019

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, civil law, family court, landlord, tenant, probate, tax, and driving violations. All appeals of Superior Court decisions go to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals though magistrate judge opinions are first appealed to a Superior Court Associate Judge.

History

19th century

The court's main entrance on Indiana Avenue

The first judicial systems in the new District of Columbia were established by the United States Congress in 1801. ^[1] 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. ^{[1] [2]}

20th century

In 1909, Congress converted the Police Court into the Municipal Court, which became a court of record with jury trials in 1921. ^[1] 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. ^[1]

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. ^[3]

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

As of June 17,2025 ^[update] :

Title	Judge	Born	First term began	Current term ends	Began senior status	First appointed by
Chief Judge	Milton C. Lee	1960	2010	2040	—	Obama
Associate Judge	Neal E. Kravitz	1957	October 21, 1998	2028	—	Clinton
Associate Judge	Erik Christian	1960	July 20, 2001	2031	—	G.W. Bush
Associate Judge	Maurice A. Ross	1961	July 27, 2001	2031	—	G.W. Bush
Associate Judge	Lynn Leibovitz	1959	September 21, 2001	2031	—	G.W. Bush
Associate Judge	Robert Rigsby	1960	October 11, 2002	2032	—	G.W. Bush
Associate Judge	Craig Iscoe	1953	January 5, 2004	2033	—	G.W. Bush
Associate Judge	Michael Ryan	1957	January 16, 2004	2033	—	G.W. Bush
Associate Judge	Laura Cordero	1965	September 2, 2005	2035	—	G.W. Bush
Associate Judge	Juliet J. McKenna	1970	December 16, 2005	2035	—	G.W. Bush
Associate Judge	Marisa Demeo	1966	May 10, 2010	2040	—	Obama
Associate Judge	Todd E. Edelman	1968	October 4, 2010	2040	—	Obama
Associate Judge	Maribeth Raffinan	1970	October 29, 2010	2040	—	Obama
Associate Judge	Jennifer A. Di Toro	1967	October 14, 2011	2026	—	Obama
Associate Judge	Yvonne M. Williams	1972	December 16, 2011	2026	—	Obama
Associate Judge	John F. McCabe	1958	February 24, 2012	2027	—	Obama
Associate Judge	Danya Dayson	1972	April 27, 2012	2027	—	Obama
Associate Judge	Kimberley S. Knowles	1970	November 9, 2012	2027	—	Obama
Associate Judge	Michael Kenny O'Keefe	1963	June 20, 2013	2028	—	Obama
Associate Judge	Robert Okun	1960	November 8, 2013	2028	—	Obama
Associate Judge	Steven M. Wellner	1959	February 19, 2016	2031	—	Obama
Associate Judge	Robert A. Salerno	1961	March 11, 2016	2031	—	Obama
Associate Judge	Darlene M. Soltys	1965	March 18, 2016	2031	—	Obama
Associate Judge	Elizabeth Carroll Wingo	1970	August 26, 2016	2031	—	Obama
Associate Judge	Julie H. Becker	1974	September 3, 2016	2031	—	Obama
Associate Judge	Kelly Higashi	1962	October 26, 2018	2033	—	Trump
Associate Judge	Carmen G. McLean	1976	May 3, 2019	2034	—	Trump
Associate Judge	Shana Frost Matini	1970	August 2019	2034	—	Trump
Associate Judge	James Crowell	1973	August 2019	2034	—	Trump
Associate Judge	Jason Park	1979	August 2019	2034	—	Trump
Associate Judge	Rainey R. Brandt	1966	September 16, 2019	2034	—	Trump
Associate Judge	Deborah J. Israel	1964	November 2019	2034	—	Trump
Associate Judge	Andrea L. Hertzfeld	1979	November 2019	2034	—	Trump
Associate Judge	D.W. Tunnage	1968	February 25, 2022	2037	—	Biden
Associate Judge	Sean C. Staples	1969	February 25, 2022	2037	—	Biden
Associate Judge	Kenia Seoane Lopez	1974	February 25, 2022	2037	—	Biden
Associate Judge	Ebony M. Scott	1978	February 25, 2022	2037	—	Biden
Associate Judge	Leslie Meek	1965	January 17, 2023	2038	—	Biden
Associate Judge	Errol Rajesh Arthur	1972	January 17, 2023	2038	—	Biden
Associate Judge	Veronica M. Sanchez	1974	January 17, 2023	2038	—	Biden
Associate Judge	Kendra D. Briggs	1974	January 17, 2023	2038	—	Biden
Associate Judge	Carl Ezekiel Ross	1977	January 17, 2023	2038	—	Biden
Associate Judge	Laura Crane	1981	January 17, 2023	2038	—	Biden
Associate Judge	Adrienne Jennings Noti	1974	March 25, 2024	2039	—	Biden
Associate Judge	Tanya Jones Bosier	1973	June 21, 2024	2039	—	Biden
Associate Judge	Judith E. Pipe	1980	June 21, 2024	2039	—	Biden
Associate Judge	Katherine E. Oler	1972	July 29, 2024	2039	—	Biden
Associate Judge	Danny Lam Nguyen	1979	July 29, 2024	2039	—	Biden
Associate Judge	Charles J. Willoughby Jr.	1978	August 19, 2024	2039	—	Biden
Associate Judge	seat vacant	—	—	—	—	—
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Associate Judge	seat vacant	—	—	—	—	—
Associate Judge	seat vacant	—	—	—	—	—
Associate Judge	seat vacant	—	—	—	—	—
Associate Judge	seat vacant	—	—	—	—	—
Associate Judge	seat vacant	—	—	—	—	—
Associate Judge	seat vacant	—	—	—	—	—
Associate Judge	seat vacant	—	—	—	—	—
Associate Judge	seat vacant	—	—	—	—	—
Associate Judge	seat vacant	—	—	—	—	—
Associate Judge	seat vacant	—	—	—	—	—
Senior Judge	Frederick H. Weisberg	1944 [4]	1977	—	March 22, 2018	Carter
Senior Judge	Henry F. Greene	1941 [5]	May 1981	—	2004	Reagan
Senior Judge	Robert I. Richter	1947 [6]	1984	—	October 2, 2014	Reagan
Senior Judge	Robert S. Tignor	1944 [6]	1984	—	1999	Reagan
Senior Judge	Herbert B. Dixon Jr.	1946 [7]	1985	—	April 28, 2015	Reagan
Senior Judge	Harold L. Cushenberry Jr.	1950 [8]	1986	—	December 16, 2015	Reagan
Senior Judge	Michael Rankin	1946	1986	—	August 31, 2019	Reagan
Senior Judge	Cheryl M. Long	1949 [9]	1988	—	December 4, 2009	Reagan
Senior Judge	Kaye K. Christian	1953 [10]	1990	—	December 4, 2010	G.H.W. Bush
Senior Judge	Patricia A. Wynn	1945 [10]	1990	—	2002	G.H.W. Bush
Senior Judge	Joan Zeldon	1938 [10]	1990	—	December 3, 2011	G.H.W. Bush
Senior Judge	Zinora Mitchell-Rankin	1956	January 12, 1990	—	February 29, 2012	G.H.W. Bush
Senior Judge	Gregory Mize	1946 [10]	March 7, 1990	—	March 12, 2002	G.H.W. Bush
Senior Judge	Lee F. Satterfield	1958	1992	—	February 1, 2017	G.H.W. Bush
Senior Judge	Russell F. Canan	1950 [11]	August 8, 1993	—	February 3, 2018	Clinton
Senior Judge	Zoe Bush	1954	July 18, 1994	—	October 27, 2017	Clinton
Senior Judge	Rhonda Reid Winston	1954 [12]	July 18, 1994	—	September 30, 2016	Clinton
Senior Judge	Judith Bartnoff	1949	August 1, 1994	—	September 13, 2019	Clinton
Senior Judge	Ronna Lee Beck	1947	May 26, 1995	—	January 8, 2021	Clinton
Senior Judge	Robert E. Morin	1953	July 30, 1996	—	September 30, 2020	Clinton
Senior Judge	John M. Campbell	1953	November 11, 1997	—	2024	Clinton
Senior Judge	Anita Josey-Herring	1960	November 11, 1997	—	October 1, 2024	Clinton
Senior Judge	Natalia Combs Greene	1954 [13]	October 21, 1998	—	September 30, 2013	Clinton
Senior Judge	Hiram E. Puig-Lugo	1961	June 6, 1999	—	2023	Clinton
Senior Judge	Thomas J. Motley	1954 [14]	July 6, 2000	—	October 27, 2017	Clinton
Senior Judge	Gerald Fisher	1950	January 15, 2001	—	August 31, 2022	Clinton
Senior Judge	Jeanette Clark	1948 [15]	2002	—	March 18, 2017	G.W. Bush
Senior Judge	Gregory E. Jackson	1951 [16]	2005	—	July 21, 2017	G.W. Bush
Senior Judge	Jennifer M. Anderson	1959	October 27, 2006	—	March 22, 2024	G.W. Bush
Senior Judge	Anthony C. Epstein	1952	September 8, 2008	—	January 11, 2025	G.W. Bush
Senior Judge	Alfred S. Irving	1959	December 3, 2008	—	March 21, 2025	G.W. Bush
Senior Judge	Judith Anne Smith	1963	October 17, 2010	—	2022	Obama
Senior Judge	Peter A. Krauthamer	1957	April 20, 2012	—	2024	Obama

Vacancies and pending nominations

Seat	Seat last held by	Vacancy reason	Date of vacancy	Nominee	Date of nomination
—	Carol Dalton	Retirement	January 30, 2020 [17]	Elana S. Suttenberg	September 2, 2025
—	Wendell P. Gardner		March 27, 2020 [17]	John Cuong Truong	September 2, 2025
—	Robert E. Morin	Senior status	September 30, 2020 [18]	–	–
—	William W. Nooter	Retirement	February 25, 2023 [19]	–	–
—	Peter A. Krauthamer	Senior status	June 30, 2023 [20]	–	–
—	Hiram E. Puig-Lugo		July 28, 2023 [20]	–	–
—	Jennifer M. Anderson		March 22, 2024 [21]	–	–
—	Rupa Ranga Puttagunta	Resignation	April 12, 2024 [22]	–	–
—	Anita Josey-Herring	Senior status	October 1, 2024 [23]	–	–
—	Anthony C. Epstein		January 11, 2025 [24]	–	–
—	Alfred S. Irving		January 24, 2025 [25]	Edward A. O'Connell	May 12, 2025
—	Jonathan Pittman	Retirement	February 7, 2025 [26]	Stephen F. Rickard	September 2, 2025
—	Heidi Pasichow		June 27, 2025 [27]	–	–
—	Craig Iscoe		January 13, 2026 [28]	–	–
—	Kimberley S. Knowles		January 24, 2026 [28]	–	–

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. p. 1847.
2. Cave v. Rudolph,53App.D.C.12, 16(C.A.D.C.1923).
3. "Judicial Selection in the States: District of Columbia". American Judicature Society. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
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. p. 2.
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. p. 25.
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. States, United; Affairs, United States Congress Senate Committee on Governmental (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. p. 11. ISBN   978-0-16-044181-3.
12. States, United; Affairs, United States Congress Senate Committee on Governmental (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. p. 12. ISBN   978-0-16-046180-4.
13. States, United; Affairs, United States Congress Senate Committee on Governmental (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. p. 18. ISBN   978-0-16-057684-3.
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. p. 36.
15. Affairs, United States Congress Senate Committee on Governmental (March 5, 2002). Nomination of Jeanette J. Clark: Hearing Before the Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Seventh Congress, Second Session on the Nomination of Jeanette J. Clark to be an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, March 5, 2002. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 8. ISBN   978-0-16-068568-2.
16. States, United; Affairs, United States Congress Senate Committee on Governmental (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. p. 7. ISBN   978-0-16-074287-3.
17. "Notice of Judicial Vacancies on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia". jnc.dc.gov. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
18. "Notice of Judicial Vacancy on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia". jnc.dc.gov. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
19. "Notice of Judicial Vacancy on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia". jnc.dc.gov. November 1, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
20. "Notice of Judicial Vacancies on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia". jnc.dc.gov. April 10, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
21. "Notice of Judicial Vacancy on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia". jnc.dc.gov. February 5, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
22. "Notice of Judicial Vacancy on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia". jnc.dc.gov. February 27, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
23. "Notice of Judicial Vacancy on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia". jnc.dc.gov. July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
24. "Notice of Judicial Vacancy on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia". jnc.dc.gov. October 29, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
25. "Notice of Judicial Vacancy on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia". jnc.dc.gov. November 18, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
26. "Notice of Judicial Vacancy on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia". jnc.dc.gov. March 3, 2025. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
27. "Notice of Judicial Vacancy on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia". jnc.dc.gov. May 16, 2025. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
28. "Notice of Judicial Vacancies on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia". jnc.dc.gov. September 9, 2025. Retrieved September 10, 2025.

External links

• Official website