District of Columbia (D.C.) Law
A guide to researching D.C. Law
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Note: Historical Research
This page discusses current sources.
Historical D.C. Court documents are discussed in the "Historical Research" section of this guide.
About D.C. Courts
The District of Columbia has two courts with local jurisdiction:
- D.C. Court of AppealsCongress established the District of Columbia Court of Appeals as the highest court of the District of Columbia in 1970. The court consists of a chief judge and eight associate judges.
- Superior Court of D.C.Congress established the Superior Court of the District of Columbia as the trial court of general jurisdiction for the District of Columbia in 1970. The court consists of a chief judge and 61 associate judges.
- Code of Judicial Conduct for the D.C. Courts
- Opinions of the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct of the DC Courts
D.C. Court of Appeals
Opinions & Orders:
- Memorandum Opinions and Judgments (MOJs)The court issues a Memorandum Order of Judgment (MOJ) in cases where the decision does not create new law, decide an important issue, or interpret a statute or concept that has yet to be reviewed. The court only lists the names and case numbers of MOJs; the decisions are not public and the identity of the writing judge is not disclosed. MOJ decisions may not be cited as authority in other cases.
- District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Cases (FindLaw)Coverage: 1997 to date; search by party, judge or counsel, or by docket or keyword.
- Orders & Notices
Oral Arguments:
- Oral Arguments
Court Rules:
- Rules of the DC Court of Appeals"District of Columbia Court Rules Annotated," Volume 1 (print version), contains the rules for the D.C. Court of Appeals.
Dockets:
- Docket Information & Documents
Other Publications:
- District of Columbia digest, 1658 to dateBrief summaries and holdings in opinions of D.C. Court of Appeals and its predecessors, as well as cases relating to D.C. decided in federal court.
- From the Ground Up: The Fundamentals of Practice in the D.C. Court of Appeals(D.C. Court of Appeals, 2016)
- District of Columbia Courts NewsroomCurrent news about the D.C. courts.
D.C. Superior Court
Opinions & Orders:
- Opinions & OrdersNot all opinions are printed. Chief Judge of the Superior Court decides which opinions will be made available for general publication.
- Administrative Orders
Court Rules:
- Rules of the D.C. Superior Court"District of Columbia Court Rules Annotated," Volume 1 (print version), contains the Rules of the D.C. Superior Court.
Dockets:
- Docket Information & Documents
Other Publications:
- District of Columbia Courts NewsroomCurrent news about the D.C. Courts.
Jury Instructions
- Standardized Civil Jury Instructions for the District of Columbia
- Criminal Jury Instructions for the District of Columbia
Related Guides
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"Chapter 1: Finding the Law" in Volume 1, The District of Columbia Practice Manual(The District of Columbia Bar)