Elana Suttenberg

Elana Suttenberg

Nonpartisan

Superior Court of the District of Columbia

Tenure

Nominee

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Elana Suttenberg works as special counsel for policy and legislative affairs at the U.S. attorney's office for the District of Columbia.

On September 2, 2025, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Suttenberg to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. As of November 5, 2025, Suttenberg was awaiting a confirmation vote from the full U.S. Senate. Click here for more information on Suttenberg’s federal judicial nomination.

The Superior Court of the District of Columbia is a trial court of general jurisdiction in Washington, D.C. To learn more about the court, click here.

Judicial nominations and appointments

Superior Court of the District of Columbia

See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

On September 2, 2025, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Suttenberg to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
Name: Elana Suttenberg
Court: Superior Court of the District of Columbia
Progress
119 days since nomination.
ANominated: September 2, 2025
AABA Rating: Not rated by the ABA
Questionnaire: Questionnaire
AHearing: October 23, 2025
Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
AReported: November 4, 2025
AConfirmed:

Confirmation vote

As of November 5, 2025, Suttenberg was awaiting a confirmation vote from the full U.S. Senate. Click here for a list of other nominees awaiting a full Senate vote.

Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held hearings on Suttenberg's nomination on October 23, 2025. LaCour was reported to the full Senate on November 4, 2025, after a 15-0 committee vote.

Nomination

On September 2, 2025, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Suttenberg to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

About the court

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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.

Click on the links below to learn more about the court's...

• Jurisdiction
• Judges
• Elections
• Selection method

The Superior Court handles all local trial matters. This includes topics such as:

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

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.

See also

• Superior Court of the District of Columbia
• Washington, D.C.

External links

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Footnotes