Charles Willoughby

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
	Name: Charles Willoughby
	Court: Superior Court of the District of Columbia
Progress
	Confirmed Expression error: Unexpected < operator. after nomination.
	Nominated: July 11, 2023 (first), January 3, 2024 (second)
	ABA Rating:
	Questionnaire: Questionnaire
	Hearing: September 21, 2023
	Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
	QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
	Reported: September 27, 2023 (first), January 31, 2024 (second)
	Confirmed: July 10, 2024
	Vote: 50-43

Charles Willoughby is a judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was nominated to the court by President Joe Biden (D) on July 11, 2023, and confirmed by the United States Senate on July 10, 2024, by a vote of 50-43. Willoughby will join the court upon receiving his judicial commission and taking his judicial oath.^[1]^[2] To see a full list of judges appointed by Joe Biden, click here.

The Superior Court of the District of Columbia is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.

Prior to joining the court, Willoughby was an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.^[3]

Judicial nominations and appointments

Superior Court of the District of Columbia (2024-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On July 11, 2023, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Willoughby to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was confirmed by a 50-43 vote of the U.S. Senate on July 10, 2024.^[1] Willoughby received commission on August 19, 2024.^[4] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Willoughby by a vote of 50-43 on July 10, 2024.^[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Willoughby confirmation vote (July 10, 2024)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	44	0	3
Republican	3	43	3
Independent	3	0	1
Total	50^[5]	43	7

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing

Willoughby was reported to the full Senate on September 27, 2023, after a 7-2 committee vote.^[6] Willoughby's nomination was returned to the president at the sine die adjournment of the U.S. Senate on January 3, 2024. After his renomination, Willoughby was reported to the full Senate on January 31, 2024, with a 10-3 committee vote.^[7]

Nomination

On June 28, 2023, President Joe Biden (D) announced his intent to nominate Willoughby to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.^[8] The president officially nominated Willoughby on July 11, 2023.^[1] Willoughby's nomination was returned to the president at the sine die adjournment of the U.S. Senate on January 3, 2024. The president renominated Willoughby on January 11, 2024.^[2] Click here for a list of other nominees who have been nominated by President Joe Biden.

Willoughby was nominated to replace Judge William M. Jackson, who retired on March 31, 2022.^[4]

Biography

Education

Willoughby earned a bachelor's degree from Morehouse College in 2000, an additonal bachelor's degree from Belmont University in 2002, and a law degree from Howard University School of Law in 2007.^[3]

Professional career

2024-present: Judge, Superior Court of the District of Columbia
2014-2024: Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia
2013-2014: Associate attorney
2009-2013: Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division of the Virgin Islands Department of Justice^[3]

About the court

The Superior Court of the District of Columbia resides in Washington, D.C. It is a trial court of general jurisdiction established by the U.S. Congress in 1970.^[9]

The Superior Court handles all local trial matters. This includes topics such as:^[9]

Civil law
Criminal law
Family law
Probate
Taxes
Landlord-tenant
Small claims
Traffic

To read opinions published by this court, click here.

The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.

As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.

After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.

If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.

The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.

If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.