District of Columbia Courts
Courts in the District of Columbia are the government agencies generally responsible for the settlement of both criminal and civil disputes in the capital city. The DC judicial branch functions alongside the city's executive and legislative branches to ensure justice is upheld in their respective judicial district. They hear and decide cases between individuals, individuals versus organizations, and cases between organizations. The courts provide rulings and judgments on cases according to the provisions of the law and available evidence. Courts handle hearings, trials, and appeals depending on their scope of jurisdiction. To foster transparency, the administrative office of each district court and federal court maintains DC court records pertaining to court hearings within city limits.
The District of Columbia consists of only two levels of courts. These are the Superior Court, also known as DC Superior Court, and the Court of Appeals, also known as the DC Court of Appeals. The Superior Court of the District of Columbia is the trial court of general jurisdiction in the capital city. It hears and decides all kinds of cases in the city, including criminal, civil, probate, landlord-tenant, tax, traffic, family, and small claims cases. The DC Superior Court is presided over by a chief judge working with 61 associate judges. It also has 24 Magistrate judges who assist the court and other retired judges rendering support services based on recommendation and approval as senior judges.
The Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia is the highest court in the city. It reviews and ultimately decides appeals sent from the Superior Court. The DC Court of Appeals also has appellate jurisdiction over case decisions from administrative boards, commissions, and agencies in the city. All federal cases and matters pertaining to federal law or the federal judiciary is heard by federal courts in the judicial district.
What is the District of Columbia Court of Appeals?
The District of Columbia Court of Appeals is the court of the highest level in the capital city. It decides cases appealed from the DC Superior Court. It also has the legal right to review decisions from administrative bodies of the government. Apart from its appellate responsibilities, the DC Court of Appeals also reviews the Superior Court's proposed rules. It also regulates and oversees its member attorneys.
What is the District of Columbia Superior Court?
The District of Columbia Superior Court is the capital city's trial court and holds jurisdiction over all civil and criminal cases. Cases appealed from the Superior Court are decided by the Court of Appeals. Federal appellate courts hear appeals from the DC superior court since the jurisdiction does not have the equivalent of a supreme court. The Superior Court is made up of about eight divisions, with each division carrying out responsibilities assigned by the court. The divisions include:
- Civil division, which consists of the Landlord and Tenant Branch, and the Small Claims Branch
- Criminal division
- Domestic Violence division
- Multi-Door Dispute Resolution division
- Family Court
- Tax division
- Probate division
- Special Operations
What are Appeals and Court Limits in Washington DC?
Court appeals are requests to an appellate court to review a decision made by a court of lower jurisdiction. In most cases, any party who does not find a court's decision satisfactory may file an appeal to a higher court. Appeals are usually made through a written document to persuade the appellate court to reverse the decision in favor of the appellant. However, such appeals are made only based on a valid reason, such as an error in law. The appellate court has the authority to decide whether to affirm, modify, or reverse the lower court's decision.
In the District of Columbia, all appeals from the DC Superior Court are heard and decided by the DC Court of Appeals. The Court of Appeals usually does not conduct fresh hearings or take new evidence on appealed cases. Instead, it reviews the Superior Court's decisions and gives an ultimate ruling based on the correctness of the judgment according to the law.
How Do I Find My Case Number in the District of Columbia?
In the District of Columbia, a case number is a unique identifier for every court case. It may be possible for two or more cases to involve parties with similar names and other details. As such, a case number proves the best way to identify a case, given that no two cases can have the same case number. Case numbers also indicate some vital information about a case, such as the year of filing, type of case, etc. It is a crucial detail when trying to search for or obtain copies of court records.
To find a case number in the District of Columbia, an interested person must have other details that can identify the particular case in question. The requester may obtain the case number by searching for court case information using the Name Search criteria. For case numbers of cases filed with the DC Superior Court, the user may conduct a case search by name on the eAccess portal.
For appellate cases, the case number may be displayed as part of the search results when a user conducts a Name Search on the Appellate Courts CMS. If a search matches multiple cases, the cases will be listed in the search results. The requester may then select the particular case in question and view further details about it.
Does the District of Columbia Hold Remote Trials?
Due to the events and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the District of Columbia Courts are authorized to hold remote trials. This approach was adopted to help minimize the health risks posed by the spread of the coronavirus.
As stated in the Superior Court Remote Hearing Information page, most remote hearings conducted by the Superior Courts are accessible to the public. Interested persons may join via WebEx, a video conference application, or via phone. The WebEx remote meeting may be accessed with a laptop, desktop, smartphone, tablet, or iPad. For access with a computer, a user may click directly on the court's WebEx URL. Alternatively, the user may visit the WebEx page and enter the Meeting ID for the particular remote hearing.
Participants who are smartphone users may download and install the WebEx app from the App Store. The WebEx app is named Cisco WebEx Meetings on the App Store. A participant who connects to a remote hearing via WebEx is usually placed on hold pending admission into the court clerk's hearing. All participants must abide by the meeting regulations, which may include self-identification, muting of microphone, etc.
