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United States federal district court From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The United States District Court for the District of Columbia (in case citations, D.D.C.) 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.[1]
United States District Court for the District of Columbia | |
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(D.D.C.) | |
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![]() Location of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia | |
Location | E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse (Washington, D.C., U.S.) |
Appeals to | District of Columbia Circuit |
Established | March 3, 1863 |
Judges | 15 |
Chief Judge | James Boasberg |
Officers of the court | |
U.S. Attorney | Matthew M. Graves |
U.S. Marshal | Lamont Ruffin (acting) |
www.dcd.uscourts.gov |
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.
The current United States Attorney for the District of Columbia is Matthew M. Graves, who was sworn into office on November 5, 2021.[2]
The court was established by Congress in 1863 as the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia, replacing the abolished circuit and district courts of the District of Columbia that had been in place since 1801. The court consisted of four justices, including a chief justice, and was granted the same powers and jurisdiction as the earlier circuit court. Any of the justices could convene a United States circuit court or a local criminal court. In 1936, Congress renamed the court the District Court of the United States for the District of Columbia. Its current name was adopted in 1948, and from then on justices were known as judges.[3]
Originally housed in the former District of Columbia City Hall, the court now sits in the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse located at 333 Constitution Avenue, N.W., in Washington, D.C. The District has no local district attorney or equivalent, and so local prosecutorial matters also fall into the jurisdiction of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. Assistant United States attorneys (AUSAs) are tasked with prosecution of not only federal crimes but also crimes that would normally be left to the state prosecutor's discretion. The District Court has the largest U.S. Attorney's Office in the nation, with around 250 assistant U.S. attorneys.
As of February 1, 2024[update]:
# | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
98 | Chief Judge | James Boasberg | Washington, D.C. | 1963 | 2011–present | 2023–present | — | Obama |
100 | District Judge | Rudolph Contreras | Washington, D.C. | 1962 | 2012–present | — | — | Obama |
102 | District Judge | Christopher R. Cooper | Washington, D.C. | 1966 | 2014–present | — | — | Obama |
103 | District Judge | Tanya Chutkan | Washington, D.C. | 1962 | 2014–present | — | — | Obama |
104 | District Judge | Randolph Moss | Washington, D.C. | 1961 | 2014–present | — | — | Obama |
105 | District Judge | Amit Mehta | Washington, D.C. | 1971 | 2014–present | — | — | Obama |
106 | District Judge | Timothy J. Kelly | Washington, D.C. | 1969 | 2017–present | — | — | Trump |
107 | District Judge | Trevor N. McFadden | Washington, D.C. | 1978 | 2017–present | — | — | Trump |
108 | District Judge | Dabney L. Friedrich | Washington, D.C. | 1967 | 2017–present | — | — | Trump |
109 | District Judge | Carl J. Nichols | Washington, D.C. | 1970 | 2019–present | — | — | Trump |
111 | District Judge | Jia M. Cobb | Washington, D.C. | 1980 | 2021–present | — | — | Biden |
112 | District Judge | Ana C. Reyes | Washington, D.C. | 1974 | 2023–present | — | — | Biden |
113 | District Judge | Loren AliKhan | Washington, D.C. | 1983 | 2023–present | — | — | Biden |
114 | District Judge | vacant | Washington, D.C. | — | — | — | — | — |
115 | District Judge | vacant | Washington, D.C. | — | — | — | — | — |
74 | Senior Judge | Joyce Hens Green | inactive | 1928 | 1979–1995 | — | 1995–present | Carter |
77 | Senior Judge | Thomas F. Hogan | inactive | 1938 | 1982–2008 | 2001–2008 | 2008–present | Reagan |
81 | Senior Judge | Royce Lamberth | Washington, D.C. San Antonio, Texas[Note 1] |
1943 | 1987–2013 | 2008–2013 | 2013–present | Reagan |
83 | Senior Judge | Paul L. Friedman | Washington, D.C. | 1944 | 1994–2009 | — | 2009–present | Clinton |
85 | Senior Judge | Emmet G. Sullivan | Washington, D.C. | 1947 | 1994–2021 | — | 2021–present | Clinton |
88 | Senior Judge | Colleen Kollar-Kotelly | Washington, D.C. | 1943 | 1997–2023 | — | 2023–present | Clinton |
89 | Senior Judge | Henry H. Kennedy Jr. | inactive | 1948 | 1997–2011 | — | 2011–present | Clinton |
90 | Senior Judge | Richard W. Roberts | inactive | 1953 | 1998–2016 | 2013–2016 | 2016–present | Clinton |
91 | Senior Judge | Ellen Segal Huvelle | inactive | 1948 | 1999–2014 | — | 2014–present | Clinton |
92 | Senior Judge | Reggie Walton | Washington, D.C. | 1949 | 2001–2015 | — | 2015–present | G.W. Bush |
93 | Senior Judge | John D. Bates | Washington, D.C. | 1946 | 2001–2014 | — | 2014–present | G.W. Bush |
94 | Senior Judge | Richard J. Leon | Washington, D.C. | 1949 | 2002–2016 | — | 2016–present | G.W. Bush |
95 | Senior Judge | Rosemary M. Collyer | inactive | 1945 | 2002–2016 | — | 2016–present | G.W. Bush |
96 | Senior Judge | Beryl Howell | Washington, D.C. | 1956 | 2010–2024 | 2016–2023 | 2024–present | Obama |
99 | Senior Judge | Amy Berman Jackson | Washington, D.C. | 1954 | 2011–2023 | — | 2023–present | Obama |
Seat | Prior judge's duty station | Seat last held by | Vacancy reason | Date of vacancy | Nominee | Date of nomination |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
14 | Washington, D.C. | Florence Y. Pan | Elevation | September 28, 2022 | Sparkle L. Sooknanan | February 27, 2024 |
12 | Beryl Howell | Senior status | February 1, 2024 | Amir Ali | February 1, 2024 |
# | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | David Kellogg Cartter | DC | 1812–1887 | 1863–1887 | 1863–1887 | — | Lincoln | death |
2 | George P. Fisher | DC | 1817–1899 | 1863–1870 | — | — | Lincoln | resignation |
3 | Abram B. Olin | DC | 1808–1879 | 1863–1879 | — | — | Lincoln | retirement |
4 | Andrew Wylie | DC | 1814–1905 | 1863[Note 1] 1863–1885[Note 2] |
— | — | Lincoln Lincoln |
confirmation reconsidered retirement |
5 | David Campbell Humphreys | DC | 1817–1879 | 1870–1879 | — | — | Grant | death |
6 | Arthur MacArthur Sr. | DC | 1815–1896 | 1870–1887 | — | — | Grant | retirement |
7 | Alexander Burton Hagner | DC | 1826–1915 | 1879–1903 | — | — | Hayes | retirement |
8 | Walter Smith Cox | DC | 1826–1902 | 1879–1899 | — | — | Hayes | retirement |
9 | Charles Pinckney James | DC | 1818–1899 | 1879–1892[Note 3] | — | — | Hayes | retirement |
10 | William Matthews Merrick | DC | 1818–1889 | 1885–1889[Note 4] | — | — | Cleveland | death |
11 | Martin V. Montgomery | DC | 1840–1898 | 1887–1892[Note 5] | — | — | Cleveland | resignation |
12 | Edward Franklin Bingham | DC | 1828–1907 | 1887–1903[Note 6] | 1887–1903 | — | Cleveland | retirement |
13 | Andrew Coyle Bradley | DC | 1844–1902 | 1889–1902 | — | — | B. Harrison | death |
14 | Louis E. McComas | DC | 1846–1907 | 1892–1899[Note 7] | — | — | B. Harrison | resignation |
15 | Charles Cleaves Cole | DC | 1841–1905 | 1893–1901 | — | — | B. Harrison | resignation |
16 | Harry M. Clabaugh | DC | 1856–1914 | 1899–1903 | — | — | McKinley | appointment as chief justice |
16.1 | Harry M. Clabaugh | DC | 1856–1914 | 1903–1914[Note 8] | 1903–1914 | — | T. Roosevelt | death |
17 | Job Barnard | DC | 1844–1923 | 1899–1914[Note 9] | — | — | McKinley | retirement |
18 | Thomas H. Anderson | DC | 1848–1916 | 1901–1916[Note 10] | — | — | McKinley[Note 11] T. Roosevelt[Note 12] |
death |
19 | Ashley Mulgrave Gould | DC | 1859–1921 | 1902–1921 | — | — | T. Roosevelt | death |
20 | Jeter Connelly Pritchard | DC | 1857–1921 | 1903–1904 | — | — | T. Roosevelt | elevation to 4th Cir. |
21 | Daniel Thew Wright | DC | 1864–1943 | 1903–1914 | — | — | T. Roosevelt | resignation |
22 | Wendell Phillips Stafford | DC | 1861–1953 | 1904–1931[Note 13] | — | — | T. Roosevelt | retirement |
23 | J. Harry Covington | DC | 1870–1942 | 1914–1918 | 1914–1918 | — | Wilson | resignation |
24 | Walter I. McCoy | DC | 1859–1933 | 1914–1918 | — | — | Wilson | appointment as chief justice |
24.1 | Walter I. McCoy | DC | 1859–1933 | 1918–1929 | 1918–1929 | — | Wilson | retirement |
25 | Frederick Lincoln Siddons | DC | 1864–1931 | 1915–1931 | — | — | Wilson | death |
26 | William Hitz | DC | 1872–1935 | 1916–1931[Note 14] | — | — | Wilson | elevation to D.C. Cir. |
27 | Thomas Jennings Bailey | DC | 1867–1963 | 1918–1950 | — | 1950–1963 | Wilson | death |
28 | Adolph A. Hoehling Jr. | DC | 1868–1941 | 1921–1927 | — | — | Harding | resignation |
29 | Peyton Gordon | DC | 1870–1946 | 1928–1941 | — | 1941–1946 | Coolidge | death |
30 | Alfred Adams Wheat | DC | 1867–1943 | 1929–1930 | — | — | Hoover | appointment as chief justice |
30.1 | Alfred Adams Wheat | DC | 1867–1943 | 1930–1941 | 1930–1941 | 1941–1943 | Hoover | death |
31 | Jesse Corcoran Adkins | DC | 1879–1955 | 1930–1946 | — | 1946–1955 | Hoover | death |
32 | Oscar Raymond Luhring | DC | 1879–1944 | 1930–1944 | — | — | Hoover | death |
33 | Joseph Winston Cox | DC | 1875–1939 | 1930–1939 | — | — | Hoover | death |
34 | James McPherson Proctor | DC | 1882–1953 | 1931–1948 | — | — | Hoover | elevation to D.C. Cir. |
35 | F. Dickinson Letts | DC | 1875–1965 | 1931–1961[Note 15] | 1958–1959 | 1961–1965 | Hoover | death |
36 | Daniel William O'Donoghue | DC | 1876–1948 | 1931–1946[Note 16] | — | 1946–1948 | Hoover | death |
37 | Bolitha James Laws | DC | 1891–1958 | 1938–1945 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | appointment as chief justice |
37.1 | Bolitha James Laws | DC | 1891–1958 | 1945–1948 | 1945–1948 | — | F. Roosevelt | appointment as district judge |
37.2 | Bolitha James Laws | DC | 1891–1958 | 1948–1958 | 1948–1958 | — | operation of law | death |
38 | Thomas Alan Goldsborough | DC | 1877–1951 | 1939–1951 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | death |
39 | James Ward Morris | DC | 1890–1960 | 1939–1960 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | death |
40 | David Andrew Pine | DC | 1891–1970 | 1940–1965 | 1959–1961 | 1965–1970 | F. Roosevelt | death |
41 | Matthew Francis McGuire | DC | 1898–1986 | 1941–1966 | 1961–1966 | 1966–1986 | F. Roosevelt | death |
42 | Edward C. Eicher | DC | 1878–1944 | 1942–1944 | 1942–1944 | — | F. Roosevelt | death |
43 | Henry Albert Schweinhaut | DC | 1902–1970 | 1944–1956 | — | 1956–1970 | F. Roosevelt | death |
44 | Alexander Holtzoff | DC | 1886–1969 | 1945–1967 | — | 1967–1969 | Truman | death |
45 | Richmond Bowling Keech | DC | 1896–1986 | 1946–1966[Note 17] | 1966 | 1966–1986 | Truman | death |
46 | Edward Matthew Curran | DC | 1903–1988 | 1946–1971[Note 18] | 1966–1971 | 1971–1988 | Truman | death |
47 | Edward Allen Tamm | DC | 1906–1985 | 1948–1965[Note 19] | — | — | Truman | elevation to D.C. Cir. |
48 | James Robert Kirkland | DC | 1903–1958 | 1949–1958[Note 20] | — | — | Truman | death |
49 | Burnita Shelton Matthews | DC | 1894–1988 | 1949–1968[Note 21] | — | 1968–1988 | Truman | death |
50 | Charles F. McLaughlin | DC | 1887–1976 | 1949–1964[Note 22] | — | 1964–1976 | Truman | death |
51 | Walter M. Bastian | DC | 1891–1975 | 1950–1954[Note 23] | — | — | Truman | elevation to D.C. Cir. |
52 | Luther Youngdahl | DC | 1896–1978 | 1951–1966 | — | 1966–1978 | Truman | death |
53 | Joseph Charles McGarraghy | DC | 1897–1975 | 1954–1967 | — | 1967–1975 | Eisenhower | death |
54 | John Sirica | DC | 1904–1992 | 1957–1977 | 1971–1974 | 1977–1992 | Eisenhower | death |
55 | George Luzerne Hart Jr. | DC | 1905–1984 | 1958–1979[Note 24] | 1974–1975 | 1979–1984 | Eisenhower | death |
56 | Leonard Patrick Walsh | DC | 1904–1980 | 1959–1971 | — | 1971–1980 | Eisenhower | death |
57 | William Blakely Jones | DC | 1907–1979 | 1962–1977 | 1975–1977 | 1977–1979 | Kennedy | death |
58 | Spottswood William Robinson III | DC | 1916–1998 | 1964–1966[Note 25] | — | — | L. Johnson | elevation to D.C. Cir. |
59 | Howard Francis Corcoran | DC | 1906–1989 | 1965–1977 | — | 1977–1989 | L. Johnson | death |
60 | William B. Bryant | DC | 1911–2005 | 1965–1982 | 1977–1981 | 1982–2005 | L. Johnson | death |
61 | Oliver Gasch | DC | 1906–1999 | 1965–1981 | — | 1981–1999 | L. Johnson | death |
62 | John Lewis Smith Jr. | DC | 1912–1992 | 1966–1983 | 1981–1982 | 1983–1992 | L. Johnson | death |
63 | Aubrey Eugene Robinson Jr. | DC | 1922–2000 | 1966–1992 | 1982–1992 | 1992–2000 | L. Johnson | death |
64 | Joseph Cornelius Waddy | DC | 1911–1978 | 1967–1978 | — | — | L. Johnson | death |
65 | Gerhard Gesell | DC | 1910–1993 | 1967–1993 | — | 1993–1993 | L. Johnson | death |
66 | June Lazenby Green | DC | 1914–2001 | 1968–1984 | — | 1984–2001 | L. Johnson | death |
67 | John H. Pratt | DC | 1910–1995 | 1968–1989 | — | 1989–1995 | L. Johnson | death |
68 | Barrington D. Parker | DC | 1915–1993 | 1969–1985 | — | 1985–1993 | Nixon | death |
69 | Charles Robert Richey | DC | 1923–1997 | 1971–1997 | — | 1997–1997 | Nixon | death |
70 | Thomas Aquinas Flannery | DC | 1918–2007 | 1971–1985 | — | 1985–2007 | Nixon | death |
71 | Louis F. Oberdorfer | DC | 1919–2013 | 1977–1992 | — | 1992–2013 | Carter | death |
72 | Harold H. Greene | DC | 1923–2000 | 1978–1995 | — | 1995–2000 | Carter | death |
73 | John Garrett Penn | DC | 1932–2007 | 1979–1998 | 1992–1997 | 1998–2007 | Carter | death |
75 | Norma Holloway Johnson | DC | 1932–2011 | 1980–2001 | 1997–2001 | 2001–2003 | Carter | retirement |
76 | Thomas Penfield Jackson | DC | 1937–2013 | 1982–2002 | — | 2002–2004 | Reagan | retirement |
78 | Stanley S. Harris | MD | 1927–2021 | 1983–1996 | — | 1996–2001 | Reagan | retirement |
79 | George Hughes Revercomb | VA | 1929–1993 | 1985–1993 | — | — | Reagan | death |
80 | Stanley Sporkin | MD | 1932–2020 | 1985–1999 | — | 1999–2000 | Reagan | retirement |
82 | Michael Boudin | DC | 1939–present | 1990–1992 | — | — | G. H. W. Bush | resignation |
84 | Gladys Kessler | DC | 1938–2023 | 1994–2007 | — | 2007–2023 | Clinton | death |
86 | Ricardo M. Urbina | DC | 1946–2024 | 1994–2011 | — | 2011–2012 | Clinton | retirement |
87 | James Robertson | DC | 1938–2019 | 1994–2008 | — | 2008–2010 | Clinton | retirement |
97 | Robert L. Wilkins | DC | 1963–present | 2010–2014 | — |
— |
Obama | elevation to D.C. Cir. |
101 | Ketanji Brown Jackson | DC | 1970–present | 2013–2021 | — | — | Obama | elevation to D.C. Cir. |
110 | Florence Y. Pan | DC | 1966–present | 2021–2022 | — | — | Biden | elevation to D.C. Cir. |
Chief | |||
---|---|---|---|
as Chief Justice | |||
Cartter | 1863–1887 | ||
Bingham | 1887–1903 | ||
Clabaugh | 1903–1914 | ||
Covington | 1914–1918 | ||
McCoy | 1918–1929 | ||
Wheat | 1930–1941 | ||
Eicher | 1942–1944 | ||
Laws | 1945–1948 | ||
as Chief Judge | |||
Laws | 1948–1958 | ||
Letts | 1958–1959 | ||
Pine | 1959–1961 | ||
McGuire | 1961–1966 | ||
Keech | 1966 | ||
Curran | 1966–1971 | ||
Sirica | 1971–1974 | ||
Hart | 1974–1975 | ||
Jones | 1975–1977 | ||
Bryant | 1977–1981 | ||
Smith | 1981–1982 | ||
A. Robinson | 1982–1992 | ||
Penn | 1992–1997 | ||
Johnson | 1997–2001 | ||
Hogan | 2001–2008 | ||
Lamberth | 2008–2013 | ||
Roberts | 2013–2016 | ||
Howell | 2016–2023 | ||
Boasberg | 2023–present |
Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge.
A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.
When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known as senior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.
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