The Honorable David Richter

The Honorable David Richter was appointed as a magistrate judge by Chief Judge Anita Josey-Herring on August 12, 2024.

Judge Richter, a native Washingtonian, most recently worked for the Criminal Code Reform Commission, a government agency in the District of Columbia. There, he assisted in drafting and reviewing criminal justice legislation and provided advisory support to the Council of the District of Columbia on proposed laws.

Before his most recent position, Judge Richter was a solo practitioner in the District of Columbia, specializing in defending indigent individuals charged with crimes in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Over nearly thirteen years in practice, primarily as a Criminal Justice Act Panel member, he served as lead counsel in hundreds of criminal cases, including over 100 bench trials and more than 25 jury trials. He has represented juveniles charged in delinquency matters as well as adults charged in misdemeanors, domestic violence, and serious felony cases.

Additionally, Judge Richter served on the board of the District of Columbia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Superior Court Trial Lawyers Association’s Criminal Justice Act Panel Committee, where he helped select and train new attorneys for criminal case appointments in Superior Court.

Prior to starting his criminal defense practice, Judge Richter clerked for then Associate Judge Robert E. Morin and Judge Geoffrey M. Alprin in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia. Mr. Richter received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine in 2001 and a Juris Doctor from Santa Clara University in 2008.