---
title: "Donald W. Tunnage | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/donald-w-tunnage-dc-superior-court-associate-judge"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# Donald W. Tunnage

Superior Court of the District of Columbia · Associate Judge

## Profile

- Court: Superior Court of the District of Columbia
- State: District of Columbia
- Role: Associate Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-07-29

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Before you appear

- Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed.
- Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance.
- Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding.

## Courtroom Rules

### recording and rebroadcasting

Scope: courtwide

Recording, photographing, or rebroadcasting a remote Superior Court hearing is not allowed.

Evidence excerpt: Audio and video recording, taking pictures of remote hearings, and sharing the live or recorded remote hearing by rebroadcasting, live-streaming, or otherwise are not allowed.

[Hearing Information](https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/hearing-information)
Source checked: 2026-07-27


## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/superior-court-judges/tunnage-donald-w)
- [Official roster](https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/superior-court-judges/tunnage-donald-w)
- [District of Columbia Courts official judicial roster](https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/superior-court-judges/tunnage-donald-w)
- [Hearing Information](https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/hearing-information)

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## Biography

### Professional career

- Donald Walker Tunnage is an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, appointed by President Joe Biden in 2022 after a two‐decade career in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division
- Civil trial attorney (2000–2009): Litigated cases enforcing the Fair Housing Act, Public Accommodations Act, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act in federal district courts
- Assistant state public defender (1993–1998): Represented indigent defendants in Florida, including appeals in all three state appellate levels, including a first‐impression case before the Florida Supreme Court

### Education

- Duke University School of Law — J.D. (1992)
- in Sociology, magna cum laude, Morehouse College, Phi Beta Kappa member — B.A. (1990)

### Additional information

- Criminal trial attorney (2009–2022): Investigated and prosecuted cases involving violations of constitutional and federal rights
- Nominated on September 30, 2021, to replace Judge Russell F. Canan, whose term ended in 2018
- Judge Tunnage’s background in civil rights litigation and criminal prosecution informs his judicial work
- Before joining the judiciary, Judge Tunnage was a career attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice for over 20 years