The Honorable John P. Howard III
Bio
Judge John P. Howard III was appointed to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in 2022 by President Joseph R. Biden. Judge Howard was born in Greenville, South Carolina. He received his B.A. from Howard University, where he also served on the Board of Trustees and was a U.C. Berkeley Public Policy & International Affairs Fellow. Before law school, Judge Howard completed a fellowship, conducting work in Louisiana following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and working with the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Judge Howard earned his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center. During law school he was active in pro bono work, served as a research assistant, and co-captained the Willem C. Vis Moot Team. He served as a judicial clerk for Chief Judge David C. Simmons of the D.C. Commission on Human Rights, and Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. After clerking, Judge Howard joined the D.C. Office of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld LLP. He later moved to Houston, Texas, where he engaged in solo practice.
Judge Howard first joined the bench as an administrative law judge at the D.C. Commission on Human Rights, where he served from 2014 to 2018. From 2018 until his appointment, he was a judge at the D.C. Office of Administrative Hearings, where he led the creation of its judicial clerkship program. Judge Howard is an officer of the Washington Bar Association Judicial Council and a past President of the D.C. Association of the Administrative Law Judiciary.
Judge Howard is married to Brandi G. Howard, and they have one child.
Details
Phone number
Clerkships & Internships
Clerkships
Judge Howard is now accepting applications for one 2025–2026 term law clerk starting in late July or August 2025. Judge Howard is also accepting applications for two 2026–2027 term law clerks. If you have graduated from law school or are graduating in the Class of 2025, your application will be reviewed on a rolling basis starting Friday, March 7, 2025. Applications for future terms will not be considered at this time.
As a law clerk, your tasks will include conducting legal research and reviewing factual records in appeals before the court; evaluating appeals; cite- and record-checking proposed decisions; drafting proposed decisions; and assisting with intern management and case/chambers management.
Judge Howard is interested in candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences, including candidates with employment experience before or after law school. He values and welcomes applications from members of communities that have been traditionally underrepresented in the legal profession. Candidates are encouraged to identify their preferred pronouns and/or honorifics in their materials.
Candidates should submit the following materials:
• Cover letter: In your cover letter, please address your desired term and any valuable skills, perspectives, or experiences you may bring to your work as a clerk.
• Resume
• Law school transcript: Unofficial transcripts are acceptable. If you do not have grades available when you apply, please note so in your cover letter and, when grades become available, send an updated transcript to the email address below.
• Writing sample: Please provide one writing sample with a cover sheet explaining the extent to which you received feedback or edits from anyone.
• Letters of recommendation: Please provide three letters of recommendation. When applying, please provide a page separate from your cover letter with the name, email address, phone number, title, and your relationship to the recommender (e.g., “former supervisor,” “administrative law professor”). Letters may be included with your application or sent separately.
Applications should be submitted via Court Opportunity Recruitment for All (CORA) or emailed to HowardJAA [at] dcappeals.gov with the subject line “2025–2026 Clerkship Application [First and Last Name]” or “2026–2027 Clerkship Application [First and Last Name].”
Applications may also be mailed to the attention of Ms. Sandra Strawder, Judge Howard’s Judicial Administrative Assistant:
Attn: Ms. Sandra Strawder
District of Columbia Court of Appeals
Chambers of Judge Howard
430 E Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20001
Note that the compensation of judicial law clerks is established by the District of Columbia Courts. Law clerks with no prior legal experience will receive pay at a grade 11, step 1. Law clerks with prior legal experience are not eligible to start at a higher grade, but may be eligible to receive pay at a grade 11, with additional steps.
Internships
Judge Howard is now accepting internship applications for Summer 2025 from law students who will be second- or third-year law students in Fall 2025. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis starting on Monday, March 3, 2024. Applications submitted before March 3 will not be considered until that date.
Interns will work primarily under the supervision of Judge Howard’s law clerks. As an intern, your tasks may include: conducting legal research and reviews of factual records in appeals before the court; evaluating appeals; cite- and record-checking proposed decisions; and assisting in preparation for oral arguments. Subject to timing, you may have the opportunity to draft a portion of a proposed decision.
Internships are unpaid, but chambers staff will coordinate with students who have funding through fellowship programs, public interest scholarship programs, or other outside sources to meet any program requirements. Applicants must be currently enrolled in an accredited J.D. or LL.M. program.
Judge Howard is interested in candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences, including candidates with employment experience before or after law school. He values and welcomes applications from members of communities that have been traditionally underrepresented in the legal profession. Candidates are encouraged to identify their preferred pronouns and/or honorifics in their materials.
Candidates should submit the following materials:
- Cover letter: In your cover letter, please address (1) any valuable skills, perspectives, or experiences you may bring to your work as an intern, (2) if you are pursuing the internship for academic credit and any requirements for you to receive credit, and (3) any start or end dates or date ranges you are available.
- Resume
- Law school transcript: Unofficial transcripts are acceptable. If you do not have grades available when you apply, please note so in your cover letter and, when grades become available, send an updated transcript to the email address below.
- Writing sample: Please provide one writing sample with a cover sheet explaining the extent to which you received feedback or edits from anyone.
- References: Please provide two references. For each reference, please include a name, email address, phone number, title, and your relationship to the reference (e.g., “former supervisor,” “administrative law professor”).
Applications should be submitted via Court Opportunity Recruitment for All (CORA) or emailed to HowardJAA [at] dcappeals.gov with the subject line “Summer 2025 Internship Application [First and Last Name]”.
Applications may also be mailed to the attention of Ms. Sandra Strawder, Judge Howard’s Judicial Administrative Assistant:
Attn: Ms. Sandra Strawder
District of Columbia Court of Appeals
Chambers of Judge Howard
430 E Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20001