--- title: "Robert Okun | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robert-okun-dc-superior-court-associate-judge" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Robert Okun 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 - Robert D. Okun was nominated by President Barack Obama and sworn-in as a DC Superior Court judge in October 2013 - In 1997, Judge Okun returned to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and shortly thereafter became chief of the Special Proceedings Division, where, for approximately 15 years, he supervised the division that responds to all post- conviction motions filed in Superior Court and U.S. District Court, including motions to vacate convictions, motions for post-conviction DNA testing, motions filed under the Sex Offender Registration Act, motions filed by defendants found not guilty by reason of insanity, and petitions for writs of habeas corpus - Judge Okun left the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 1992 to become a freelance writer (having previously written an episode for the television show “Family Ties”), but returned to the practice of law approximately a year later when he joined the Office of Consumer Litigation of the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, where he prosecuted both civil and criminal violations of various consumer protection statutes - Joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia in 1989, where he prosecuted a wide variety of felony and misdemeanor cases in both Superior Court and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia - trial attorney for the Fraud Section of the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, where he prosecuted fraud committed against the federal government, primarily under the civil False Claims Act (1987–1989) - From 1985 to 1987, Judge Okun was an attorney at the Federal Trade Commission, serving in the Office of Policy and Evaluation for the Bureau of Consumer Protection, where he oversaw investigations and litigation concerning false and deceptive trade practices - In addition, Judge Okun served as one of the Office’s ethics and professional responsibility officers for many years, advising Assistant U.S. Attorneys on ethical issues and questions involving the Rules of Professional Conduct - Judge Okun has taught classes on white-collar crime and legal reasoning at American University and, for more than a decade, taught classes on civic responsibility to fifth-grade students at several District of Columbia public schools - During his tenure at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Judge Okun also served as the Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney for Operations, where he helped oversee the Office’s litigating divisions and victim-witness unit, and as Special Counsel to the U.S. Attorney for Professional Development and Legal Policy, where he oversaw the Office’s professional development program and represented the Office on numerous court and criminal justice committees ### Education - Harvard Law School — J.D. (1984) - University of Pennsylvania — B.A. (1981) ### Additional information - Date of birth: 1960-01-06 - Following his graduation from law school, Judge Okun was a law clerk for Judge Schwelb, then an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, serving in both the Domestic Relations and Misdemeanor branches of the Court - Finally, Judge Okun was instrumental in helping draft numerous pieces of legislation while he was at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including the Innocence Protection Act, the Incompetent Defendants Criminal Commitment Act, and the Criminal Record Sealing Act - Judge Okun also served, for several years, as the chair of a hearing committee for the Board on Professional Responsibility, where he presided over hearings involving alleged attorney misconduct - During his tenure at the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Judge Okun received numerous awards, including the John Marshall Award for Providing Legal Advice, which was given to him by the Attorney General of the United States for his efforts in providing guidance concerning the retroactive changes to the crack cocaine sentencing guidelines used in federal court - Birth place: Great Neck Peninsula ## 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/okun-robert) - [Official roster](https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/superior-court-judges/okun-robert) - [District of Columbia Courts official judicial roster](https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/superior-court-judges/okun-robert) - [Hearing Information](https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/hearing-information) - [The Honorable Robert Okun](https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/superior-court-judges/okun-robert) - [Wikidata: Robert Okun](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q77466259) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robert-okun-dc-superior-court-associate-judge", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robert-okun-dc-superior-court-associate-judge", "name": "Robert Okun | KnowJudges", "description": "Robert Okun, Superior Court of the District of Columbia. 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