District of Columbia Court of Appeals | |
---|---|
The District of Columbia Court of Appeals is located in the former D.C. City Hall, a National Historic Landmark.
![]() |
|
Established | 1970 |
Location | Washington, DC at District of Columbia City Hall building at Judiciary Square |
Composition method | appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate |
Authorized by | derived from the United States Congress |
Judge term length | 15 years |
Website | http://www.dccourts.gov/internet/ |
Chief Judge | |
Currently | |
Since | 2017 |
The District of Columbia Court of Appeals is the highest court of the District of Columbia. Established in 1970, it is equivalent to a state supreme court, except that its authority is derived from the United States Congress rather than from the inherent sovereignty of the states. The court is located in the former District of Columbia City Hall building at Judiciary Square. The D.C. Court of Appeals should not be confused with the District's federal appellate court, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The D.C. Court of Appeals and the Superior Court of the District of Columbia comprise the District's local court system.
As the court of last resort for the District of Columbia, the Court of Appeals is authorized to review all final orders, judgments, and specified interlocutory orders of the associate judges of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, as well decisions of certain D.C. agencies. The court also has jurisdiction to review decisions of administrative agencies, boards, and commissions of the District government, as well as to answer questions of law presented by the Supreme Court of the United States, a United States court of appeals, or the highest appellate court of any state. As authorized by Congress, the court reviews proposed rules of the trial court and develops its own rules for proceedings.