--- title: "Emmet G. Sullivan | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/emmet-g-sullivan" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Emmet G. Sullivan U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ยท Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia - State: District of Columbia - Role: Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, District of Columbia, 1994-present - Associate judge, District of Columbia Court of Appeals, 1992-1994 - Associate judge, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, 1984-1992 - Superior Court of the District of Columbia: Appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, serving in every division and as Deputy Presiding and Presiding Judge of the Probate and Tax Divisions United States Courts - Law clerk, Hon. James Washington, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, 1972-1973 - Law clerk, Neighborhood Legal Services Program, Washington, D.C., 1971-1972 ### Education - Howard University School of Law in โ€” J.D. (1971) - Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Howard University in 1968 ### Additional information - He assumed senior status on April 3, 2021. - received his commission on June 16, 1994. - District of Columbia Court of Appeals: Appointed by President George H. W. Bush in 1991 as an. - Private practice, Washington, D.C., 1974-1984 - Emmet Gael Sullivan was born on June 4, 1947, in Washington, D.C., and attended local public schools, graduating from McKinley Technology High School in 1964. - Date of birth: 1947-01-01 - After law school, he received a Reginald Heber Smith Fellowship and worked at the Neighborhood Legal Services Program in Washington, D.C., followed by a clerkship with. - Sullivan has received numerous honors, including the Ollie May Cooper Award, the Thurgood Marshall Award of Excellence, induction into the Washington Bar Association Hall of Fame, and an honorary Doctor of Laws from Georgetown University. - Birth place: Washington, DC ## 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 ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388436) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388436) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388436) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3133/emmet-g-sullivan/) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3133/emmet-g-sullivan/) - [Wikidata: Emmet G. Sullivan](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5373483) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/emmet-g-sullivan", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/emmet-g-sullivan", "name": "Emmet G. Sullivan | KnowJudges", "description": "Emmet G. Sullivan, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-09", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/emmet-g-sullivan#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/emmet-g-sullivan#judge", "name": "Emmet G. 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Sullivan", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/emmet-g-sullivan" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 38 | 0 | Not available | 0 | | 2y | 64 | 7 | Not available | 7 | | 5y | 90 | 30 | 3.7 | 30 | | 10y | 675 | 603 | 8.4 | 603 | Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/ ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-651872d6e45e0d82319ecccc) โ€” Civil actions in United States District Courts; Rule 81 exceptions apply. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) โ€” Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.