--- title: "Michael Ryan | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-ryan-dc-superior-court-associate-judge" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Michael Ryan 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. ## Biography ### Professional career - J. Michael Ryan was nominated by President George W. Bush to be an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on January 21, 2003 - From 1984 to 1985, Judge Ryan was a partner with J. Patrick Anthony in Ryan & Anthony, practicing criminal and civil mental health defense - Following graduation from law school, Judge Ryan served as law clerk to the Honorable Richard B. Latham, Sixth Judicial Circuit Court, Montgomery County, Maryland, and interim law clerk to the Honorable Bruce S. Mencher, Superior Court for the District of Columbia. ### Education - College of William — B.A. - Law degree — National Law Center, George Washington University - J.D. magna cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center, where he held the role of an. ### Additional information - Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Ryan had been an attorney at the Public Defender Service since 1985, serving in various capacities. - His nomination was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 24, 2003. - staff attorney at the Mental Health Division of PDS, located at Saint Elizabeths Hospital (1985–early 2002) - Judicial Philosophy: Judge Ryan emphasizes fairness and hard work, values instilled in him by his working-class parents. - Legal Experience: Before his appointment, Judge Ryan held a position as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Seattle - focusing on constitutional, appellate, and municipal law. - He has served as an Adjunct at Washington College of Law and been an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, Georgetown University School of Medicine and was a contributing writer to the Mental & Physical Disability Law Reporter of the American Bar Association. - He believes in the importance of an independent judiciary and strives to treat every case with the utmost respect and seriousness. - He also practiced at K&L Gates, where he specialized in complex civil litigation and pro bono work related to free speech and prisoners' rights. - He graduated with high honors from Rutgers College - Judge Ryan is a member of the Judicial Education Committee and Criminal Division Panels Oversight Committee and has served on the Mental Health & Habilitation Rules Advisory Committee, and Pre-Trial Mental Examination Committee. - Judge Ryan also served on the Superior Court’s Family Division Mental Health and Habilitation Working Group and as an Advisory Board Member of the Criminal Justice/Mental Health Consensus Project of the Police Executive Research Forum. ## 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/ryan-michael) - [Official roster](https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/superior-court-judges/ryan-michael) - [District of Columbia Courts official judicial roster](https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/superior-court-judges/ryan-michael) - [Hearing Information](https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/hearing-information) - [The Honorable Michael Ryan](https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/superior-court-judges/ryan-michael) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-ryan-dc-superior-court-associate-judge", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-ryan-dc-superior-court-associate-judge", "name": "Michael Ryan | KnowJudges", "description": "Michael Ryan, Superior Court of the District of Columbia. 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