The Honorable Steven Wellner

In November 2013, President Barack Obama nominated Steven M. Wellner for appointment to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Senate confirmed his nomination as Associate Judge on November 19, 2015.

Judge Wellner was born in Madison, Wisconsin, lived briefly there and in Honolulu, Hawaii, and grew up outside Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated from Randallstown High School, received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia in 1981 and a law degree from the University of Michigan in 1985.

After law school, Judge Wellner joined the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis. His practice as an associate included general litigation, government contracts, intellectual property and environmental law. He served in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of General Counsel, Air Division, between 1989 and 1990, and then returned to Kirkland & Ellis to focus on the practice of environmental law. He remained at the firm, as an associate and then a partner, until 2006. For ten years, Judge Wellner was Pro Bono Coordinator for the firm’s Washington office, promoting and facilitating pro bono opportunities for lawyers of all practice areas and levels of experience.

In 2006, Judge Wellner was appointed to serve as an administrative law judge with the District of Columbia Office of Administrative Hearings. During his tenure with OAH, Judge Wellner heard cases involving unemployment benefits, rental housing, public school discipline, public works and other administrative matters. From 2011 until 2015, Judge Wellner was Principal Administrative Law Judge for Unemployment Insurance Appeals.

Judge Wellner has served for many years in various leadership roles with local nonprofit organizations.