Rufus G. King III

Rufus G. King III (born June 16, 1942) is the former chief judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

Rufus G. King III
Senior Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia
Assumed office
October 1, 2008
5th Chief Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia
In office
October 1, 2000 – September 30, 2008
Preceded byEugene N. Hamilton
Succeeded byLee F. Satterfield
Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia
In office
1984–2008
Appointed byRonald Reagan
Succeeded byMarisa Demeo[1]
Personal details
BornJune 16, 1942
New Haven, Connecticut
Spouse(s)Barbara Stevens
Alma materPrinceton University (B.A.)
Georgetown University Law Center (J.D.)

Early life and career

King was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland. [2] He graduated from the Landon School in 1960.[3] His father, Rufus King Jr., was a lawyer, but King majored in biology at Princeton University and planned to become a doctor. After graduating in 1966, King worked as a bailiff and docket clerk at the District of Columbia Court of General Sessions, soon to become the Superior Court. After briefly clerking for Judge Austin L. Fickling, King spent three years clerking for Judge William C. Pryor while attending law school at night at Georgetown University.[3][4]

After graduating law school, King entered private practice. He was an associate at Karr & Greensfelder from 1971 to 1973 and then spent four years as a solo practitioner.[3] In 1977, he formed a partnership with his father, King & King, which in 1979 became King & Newmyer and then merged into Berliner & Maloney in 1983. His practice included both civil and criminal litigation.

Judicial service

In 1984, King was nominated and confirmed to be a judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He served in most divisions of the court but primarily in the Civil Division, of which he became presiding judge in 1997.[3] In 2000, King was named chief judge of the court. In that capacity, he worked to restructure the Family Division into a separate Family Court.[2][5] He was reelected chief judge without opposition in 2004 and stepped down in 2008. The Washington Post credited him with improving court operations and improving public access to information, including by creating the court's first website.[6] In 2008, King took senior status and began working in alternative dispute resolution with the McCammon Group.[2]

References
  1. Report of District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission
  2. Alfisi, Kathryn (September 2010). "Legends in the Law: Rufus G. King III". Washington Lawyer.
  3. Nomination for Chief Judge of Superior Court
  4. An interview with Judge Rufus G. King, III (Ret.), Council for Court Excellence
  5. D.C. Senior Judge King Seeks Reappointment, The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times (February 6, 2013)
  6. Alexander, Keith L. (May 10, 2008). "Chief Judge to Step Down". Washington Post.
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