Emmet G. Sullivan

Judge Emmet G. Sullivan was born in Washington, D.C., and attended public schools in the District of Columbia until his graduation from McKinley High School in 1964. In 1968, he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Howard University and, in 1971, a Juris Doctor Degree from the Howard University School of Law. Upon graduation from law school, Judge Sullivan was the recipient of a Reginald Heber Smith Fellowship and was assigned to the Neighborhood Legal Services Program in Washington, D.C. The following year, he served as a law clerk to Superior Court of the District of Columbia Judge James A. Washington, Jr., a former professor and Acting Dean of Howard University School of Law.

In 1973, Judge Sullivan joined the law firm of Houston & Gardner. He subsequently became a partner and was actively engaged in the general practice of law with that firm until August 1980, when his law partner, William C. Gardner, was appointed as an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Thereafter, Judge Sullivan was a partner in the successor firm of Houston, Sullivan & Gardner. Over the years, ten lawyers from the Houston law firm went on to become judges.
While in private practice, Judge Sullivan was a member of a number of bar associations, and served on various court advisory and rules committees. He was admitted to practice law before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the United States Court of Military Appeals, the United States Tax Court, and the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. He was a perennial voting delegate to the Circuit Judicial Conference and the District of Columbia Judicial Conference. He served on the Board of Directors of the District of Columbia Law Students in Court Program; the District of Columbia Judicial Conference Voluntary Arbitration Committee.

Judge

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

1994 - Current

District of Columbia Judicial Disabilities; Tenure Commission and the District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission; Chair of Judicial Nomination Commission 2005-present; United States District Court’s Executive Committee; Chair of Court’s Jury Committee; Non-Appropriated Funds Committee; Inter-Agency Detention Workgroup

Associate Judge

District of Columbia Court of Appeals

1992 - 1994

Associate Judge

Superior Court of the District of Columbia

1984 - 1992

Private practice, Washington, D.C.

1974 - 1984

Law clerk

Hon. James Washington, Superior Court of the District of Columbia

1972 - 1973

Law clerk

Neighborhood Legal Services Program, Washington, D.C.

1971 - 1972

Howard University School of Law

J.D. (1971)

Howard University

B.A. (1968)

Ollie May Cooper Award

Washington Bar Association

Thurgood Marshall Award of Excellence

Howard University Alumni Association

Howard University Distinguished Alumni Award

President and Board of Trustees of Howard University

Frederick B. Abramson Memorial Foundation

Director

Current

Washington Bar Association, the District of Columbia Bar and the Bar Association of the District of Columbia

Member

Current

American University Washington College of Law

Adjunct Professor

Current

Judicial Conference Committee on Space and Facilities

Member

2012 - Current

United States Judicial Conference Committee on Criminal Law

Member

1998 - 2005