The Honorable Kimberley S. Knowles

Kimberley S. Knowles was nominated by President Barack Obama in and confirmed by the Senate on August 2, 2012.

Judge Knowles was born and raised in Bronx, New York. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University in 1992 and her Juris Doctor from Howard University School of Law in 1996.

After graduation from law school, Judge Knowles served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Eric T. Washington, then Associate Judge on the D.C. Superior Court. In that capacity, she worked primarily on criminal matters. After her clerkship, Judge Knowles joined the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. She served in the Appellate, General Felony, Community Prosecution and Major Crimes, Fraud and Public Corruption and Sex Offense/Domestic Violence Sections, earning numerous special achievement awards. In October 2004, she was selected to be a deputy chief of the Sex Offense/Domestic Violence Section, where she served until her appointment to the Court. As a deputy chief, Judge Knowles supervised the investigation and prosecution of cases involving domestic violence, the sexual abuse of adults and children and offenses committed against minors. She also regularly conducted trainings on sexual abuse and domestic violence issues for various community organizations.

Judge Knowles was appointed Magistrate Judge by Chief Judge Lee F. Satterfield on May 10, 2010 and served as a magistrate judge until she became an Associate Judge.