The Honorable Danya A. Dayson

Danya Dayson joined the court in 2011. She currently serves on a Civil II calendar. Previously, she has presided over domestic relations, juvenile and criminal calendars. She has also served as the Deputy Presiding Judge of the Criminal Division.

Danya Dayson was born in New York City and was raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She received Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and Russian / Eastern European Studies from Appalachian State University. Judge Dayson received her JD from Georgetown University Law Center in 1998.

Upon graduation from law school, Judge Dayson practiced criminal law as a solo practitioner. She served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Judge Robert E. Morin in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia in 2000.

After her clerkship, Judge Dayson was a partner in the firm of Wicks & Dayson. There, she represented clients in criminal matters, both in Superior Court and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In addition, she began her family law practice, representing respondents, parents and caretakers in abuse and neglect cases in the Superior Court. Judge Dayson’s family law practice also included representing litigants in divorce, custody and child support cases, as well as serving as court appointed Guardian Ad Litem in custody cases.

In 2003, Judge Dayson joined the firm of O’Toole, Rothwell, Nassau & Steinbach. There she continued her criminal practice, including representing capital defendants in federal court. She also led the firm’s domestic relations practice, serving clients in the areas of separation, divorce, custody and child support. Judge Dayson was also part of a team of lawyers who served as outside counsel for several small businesses and non-profit organizations. Judge Dayson has served as an adjunct professor at the George Washington School of Law, co-teaching a criminal law seminar on the death penalty.

Before taking the bench, Judge Dayson participated in the Domestic Relations and Paternity Support Subcommittee of the Family Court Implementation Committee and the Steering Committee of the Family Law Section of the D.C. Bar.

Since joining the court, Judge Dayson has served on several committees within the court, including serving as co-chair for the Family Court Training Committee and chair of the Family Guide to the District of Columbia Juvenile Justice System Drafting Working Group. She also has served on the Juvenile Subcommittee, the Family Court Rules and Criminal Rules Advisory Committee, the Jury Management Committee, the Family Court Implementation Committee, the Strategic Planning Leadership Council, the Landlord & Tenant Working Group, the Criminal Justice Attorney (CJA) Committee, the Sentencing Commission and the Jury Instructions Committee.