---
title: "Vijay Shanker | KnowJudges"
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---

# Vijay Shanker

District of Columbia Court of Appeals · Associate Judge

## Profile

- Court: District of Columbia Court of Appeals
- State: District of Columbia
- Role: Associate Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-08-22

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Biography

### Professional career

- From 2005 to 2022, Judge Shanker served in various capacities in the United States Department of Justice
- From 2012 to 2014 he served in the Office of the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division, including as Counselor and Acting Deputy Chief of Staff to the Assistant Attorney General.
- Earlier in his career, Judge Shanker was an associate at Mayer Brown from 2004 to 2005 and at Covington & Burling from 1999 to 2000 and 2001 to 2004
- Law clerk for Judge Chester J. Straub on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 2000 to 2001

### Education

- University of Virginia School of Law — J.D. (1999)
- Duke University — B.A. (1994)

### Additional information

- Appointed to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in December 2022 by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
- Judge Shanker returned to the Appellate Section as Deputy Chief in 2014, serving in that role until 2019, when he began a detail as Senior Litigation Counsel in the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
- From 2005 to 2012 he was an attorney in the Appellate Section of the Criminal Division.
- He previously served as Vice President of the Board of Directors of Calvary Women’s Services.

## 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.

## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.dccourts.gov/court-of-appeals/court-of-appeals-judges)
- [Official roster](https://www.dccourts.gov/court-of-appeals/court-of-appeals-judges)
- [District of Columbia Courts official judicial roster](https://www.dccourts.gov/court-of-appeals/court-of-appeals-judges)
- [FY 2027 Budget Justification](https://www.dccourts.gov/sites/default/files/matters-docs/FY-2027-Budget-Justification.pdf)
- [The Honorable Vijay Shanker](https://www.dccourts.gov/court-of-appeals/court-of-appeals-judges/shanker-vijay)

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## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [District of Columbia Court of Appeals — argument format](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-22912f4b8c95ebc6c1ad22b9) — Court of Appeals only; January 3, 2023 dated information sheet. Excerpt concerns court discretion over argument format; obsolete pandemic health instructions elsewhere in the source are not adopted. Shared baseline only, not a judge-specific preference or complete local rules inventory. Apply source exceptions, case-type limits, later amendments and case orders. [Official source](https://www.dccourts.gov/sites/default/files/COA-efiling-cases-online-PDFs/In-Person_Oral_Argument_Information_Sheet.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.