---
title: "Merrick B. Garland | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/merrick-b-garland-1155"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-09"
---

# Merrick B. Garland

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia · Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- State: District of Columbia
- Role: Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-06-30

## Biography

### Professional career

- Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, 1997-2021
- Principal associate deputy attorney general, U.S. Department of Justice, 1994-1997
- Deputy assistant attorney general, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1993-1994
- Assistant U.S. attorney, District of Columbia, 1989-1992
- Special assistant attorney general, U.S. Department of Justice, 1979-1981
- Law clerk, Hon. William J. Brennan, Jr., Supreme Court of the United States, 1978-1979
- Law clerk, Hon. Henry J. Friendly, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 1977-1978
- Attorney General: Merrick B. Garland Merrick Brian Garland was born on November 13, 1952, in Chicago, Illinois
- Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit

### Education

- Harvard University — J.D. (1977)
- Harvard University — B.A. (1974)
- Harvard College

### Additional information

- Private practice, Washington, D.C., 1992-1993
- Private practice, Washington, D.C., 1981-1989
- Date of birth: 1952-01-01
- chief judge
- Niles West High School
- Birth place: Chicago, IL

## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1155/merrick-b-garland/)
- [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1155/merrick-b-garland/)
- [U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1155/merrick-b-garland/)
- [Federal Judicial Center: D.C. Circuit judicial service](https://www.fjc.gov/history/courts/u.s.-court-appeals-district-columbia-circuit-justices-and-judges)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1155/merrick-b-garland/)
- [Attorney General: Merrick B. Garland](https://www.justice.gov/ag/bio/attorney-general-merrick-b-garland)
- [Merrick Garland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrick_Garland)
- [Wikidata: Merrick Garland](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1922011)

## JSON-LD

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    {
      "@type": "WebPage",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/merrick-b-garland-1155",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/merrick-b-garland-1155",
      "name": "Merrick B. Garland | KnowJudges",
      "description": "Merrick B. Garland, 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/merrick-b-garland-1155#judge"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Person",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/merrick-b-garland-1155#judge",
      "name": "Merrick B. Garland",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/merrick-b-garland-1155",
      "jobTitle": "Judge",
      "worksFor": {
        "@type": "GovernmentOrganization",
        "name": "U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia"
      },
      "sameAs": [
        "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1155/merrick-b-garland/"
      ],
      "birthDate": "1952",
      "birthPlace": "Chicago, IL",
      "alumniOf": [
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "Harvard University"
        },
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "Harvard University"
        },
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "Harvard University"
        },
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "Harvard College"
        },
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "Niles West High School"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "itemListElement": [
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 1,
          "name": "KnowJudges",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 2,
          "name": "District of Columbia",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/district-of-columbia"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 3,
          "name": "Merrick B. Garland",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/merrick-b-garland-1155"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```


## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-651872d6e45e0d82319ecccc) — 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) — 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.