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Superior Court Division

Julianne Johnston, Chief

Jodi Lazarus, Deputy Chief

The Superior Court Division is responsible for prosecuting most local (non-federal) crimes occurring within the District of Columbia. The mission of the Superior Court Division is to promote public safety and vindicate the rights of victims by fairly, impartially, and consistently enforcing the criminal laws of the United States and the District of Columbia in accord with our ethical and constitutional duties. To accomplish this mission, the Superior Court Division is divided into five sections: Homicide, Sex Offense and Domestic Violence, Major Crimes, General Crimes, and Early Case Assessment.

The Homicide Section, which is staffed with senior trial attorneys, investigates and prosecutes homicides committed in the District of Columbia.

The Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Section is divided into three units: felony sex offense, felony domestic violence, and misdemeanor sex offense and domestic violence. The felony sex offense unit, which is staffed with senior trial attorneys, handles both adult and child sexual abuse cases. The felony domestic violence unit handles felony intrafamily offenses and the misdemeanor sex offense and domestic violence unit handles all non-felony intrafamily and sexual assault crimes.

The Major Crimes Section prosecutes all felony violent crimes, except homicide, sexual abuse, and domestic violence offenses.

The General Crimes section is divided into four units: the Misdemeanor Unit, the Felony Trial Unit, the Grand Jury Unit, and the Case Initiation Unit. Information about each unit can be found through the General Crimes Section link below.

The Early Case Assessment Section is responsible for all case initiation (with the exception of sex offense and homicide).

Sections in the Superior Court Division include:

Additional Resources:

Updated March 7, 2024