--- title: "Richard J. Leon | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-j-leon" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Richard J. Leon 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: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Adjunct professor, George Washington University Law School, 2004-present - Judge, District Court, District of Columbia, 2002-present - Adjunct professor, Georgetown University Law Center, 1997-present - Deputy assistant attorney general, Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1988-1989 - Senior trial attorney, Criminal Section, Tax Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1983-1987 - Assistant professor of law, St. John's University School of Law, 1979-1983 - Special assistant U.S. attorney, Civil Division, Southern District of New York, 1977-1978 - Attorney, Immigration and Naturalization Service, U.S. Department of Justice Honors Program, 1976-1977 - Law clerk, Hon. Thomas F. Kelleher, Supreme Court of Rhode Island, 1975-1976 - Law clerk, Massachusetts Superior Court, 1974-1975 - Law clerk in Massachusetts and Rhode Island courts ### Education - Harvard University — LL.M. (1981) - Suffolk University — J.D. (1974) - College of the Holy Cross — B.A. (1971) - Suffolk University Law School ### Additional information - Special counsel, U.S. House of Representatives Ethics Reform Task Force, 1997-present - Special counsel, Whitewater investigation, U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs, 1994-present - He assumed senior status on December 31, 2016. - Confirmed: February 14, 2002 - Commissioned: February 19, 2002 - Private practice, Washington, D.C., 1989-2002 - Nominated: September 10, 2001 - Commissioner, Judicial Review Commission on Foreign Asset Control, 2000-2001 - Chief minority counsel, October Surprise Task Force, U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, 1992-1993 - Commissioner, White House Fellows Commission, 1990-1993 - Deputy chief minority counsel, U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee to Investigate Covert Arms Transactions with Iran, 1987-1988 - Born December 3, 1949, in South Natick, Massachusetts. - Date of birth: 1949-01-01 - Deputy Chief Minority Counsel for the Iran‐Contra investigation - Special counsel in multiple congressional investigations (October Surprise, Whitewater, Ethics Reform Task Force) - Senior trial attorney, DOJ Tax Division - Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, SDNY - American federal judge known for his long tenure on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. - Judge Richard J. Leon remains an influential figure in the federal judiciary due to his extensive judicial record and involvement in major congressional investigations. - Birth place: South Natick, MA ## 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/1391441) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391441) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391441) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1911/richard-j-leon/) - [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/1911/richard-j-leon/) - [Wikidata: Richard J. Leon](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7326740) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-j-leon", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-j-leon", "name": "Richard J. Leon | KnowJudges", "description": "Richard J. Leon, 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/richard-j-leon#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-j-leon#judge", "name": "Richard J. 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Leon", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-j-leon" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 53 | 1 | Not available | 1 | | 2y | 121 | 33 | 3.1 | 33 | | 5y | 388 | 270 | 3.4 | 270 | | 10y | 793 | 663 | 5.5 | 663 | 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) — 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.