The Honorable Donald W. Tunnage

Judge Donald Walker Tunnage was nominated to be an associate judge of D.C. Superior Court by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. in September 2021 and confirmed by the Senate in February 2022.

Before becoming a judicial officer, Judge Tunnage was a career attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice, where he spent the past two decades enforcing federal civil rights statutes through both criminal and civil courtroom litigation across the nation.

During his early tenure in the Civil Rights Division as a civil trial attorney, Judge Tunnage litigated lawsuits in federal district courts to enforce the Fair Housing Act, the Public Accommodations Act, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Judge Tunnage then served as a criminal prosecutor in the Civil Rights Division, where he investigates and prosecutes cases that involve interference with liberties and deprivation of Constitutional and federal rights. Judge Tunnage was recognized consistently by the Department of Justice with Special Achievement awards and was thrice awarded Special Commendation for outstanding performance.

Prior to joining the Department of Justice, Judge Tunnage was an assistant state public defender in Miami, Florida, where he litigated criminal appeals on behalf of indigent persons and made appearances in all three levels of state appellate courts in Florida, including a case of first impression before the Supreme Court of Florida.

Judge Tunnage received his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Morehouse College, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, and his Juris Doctor from Duke University Law School. Judge Tunnage also holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.