Robert E. Morin (born January 9, 1953) is an American lawyer and a senior judge of the

Superior Court of the District of Columbia The Superior Court of the District of Columbia, commonly referred to as DC Superior Court, is the trial court for the District of Columbia, in the United States. It hears cases involving Criminal justice, criminal, Civil law (common law), civi ...

Early life and education

Morin was born on January 9, 1953, in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. In 1974, Morin graduated with a degree in

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

from

University of Massachusetts The University of Massachusetts is the Public university, public university system of the Massachusetts, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The university system includes six campuses (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, University of Massachusetts Lowell ...

and in 1977 with a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree from Catholic University Law School.

Career

Morin worked in private practice from 1977-1996. Morin has been teaching at

Georgetown Law Center Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment, with over ...

as an adjunct professor since 1986. On December 18, 1995, President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

nominated Morin to a fifteen-year term as an associate judge of the

to the seat vacated by Curtis E. von Kann. On March 25, 1996, a hearing was held before the Senate

Committee on Governmental Affairs The United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is the chief oversight committee of the United States Senate. It has jurisdiction over matters related to the Department of Homeland Security and other homeland sec ...

. On July 26, 1996, the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

confirmed his nomination by

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "by live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by respondin ...

. He was sworn in on July 30, 1996. In 2011, he was reappointed for another fifteen-year term, expiring in 2026. On June 16, 2016, following a thorough selection, the Judicial Nomination Commission announced that it has chosen Morin to serve as the next chief judge of the

. In April 2020, Morin announced that he plans to retire in September.

Personal life

Morin lives in Washington, D.C. and is married to Martha Tomich. They have two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morin, Robert E. 1953 births Living people 20th-century American judges 21st-century American judges Georgetown University Law Center faculty Judges of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia Lawyers from Boston University of Massachusetts alumni