United States District Court for the District of Columbia
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.
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 acting United States attorney for the District of Columbia is Bridget M. Fitzpatrick after Matthew M. Graves resigned.
History
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.
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.
Current judges
As of January 2, 2025[update]:
Former judges
Chief judges
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.
Succession of seats
- Associate Justices Clabaugh, McCoy, Wheat and Laws were elevated to Chief Justice.
- Chief Justice Laws was assigned to the new Seat 13 by operation of law upon the abolition of the Chief Justice Seat 1.
- Judge Chutkan was assigned to the new Seat 17 as Judge Bates assumed duties as Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts (). Seat 11 was then abolished as Bates assumed senior status, then Bates returned full-time to the court as senior judge.
List of U.S. Attorneys
See also
- Courts of the United States
- List of current United States district judges
- List of United States federal courthouses in the District of Columbia