The Honorable Thomas J. Motley

Judge Thomas John Motley was appointed to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia in 2000 by President William J. Clinton.

Judge Motley received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Columbia College in 1976. He received his law degree in 1979 from Harvard Law School. The following year Judge Motley served as a law clerk to Judge Robert F. Collins of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

In 1980, Judge Motley joined the District of Columbia law firm of Steptoe & Johnson. After two and a half years in private practice, he entered public service, becoming an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia from 1983 until 2000.

Judge Motley was reappointed in October 2015. Judge Motley has presided over matters on the Juvenile, Paternity & Support, Mental Health, Felony II, Domestic Violence, Civil II calendars, and the Felony I calendars. He served as a member of various Superior Court committees, including the Rules Committee and was also a member of the Thurgood Marshall Inn of Court. Judge Motley took senior status in March 2018.