Robert Daniel Okun (born January 6, 1960) is an associate 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 ...

Education and career

Okun earned his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

, ‘’

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

,’’ from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

in 1981, his

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 ...

, ‘’

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

,’’ from the

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

in 1984. After graduating, he clerked for Judge Frank E. Schwelb of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He had a career in

public service A public service or service of general (economic) interest is any service intended to address the needs of aggregate members of a community, whether provided directly by a public sector agency, via public financing available to private busin ...

working as an attorney for various government departments and later served as Chief of the Special Proceedings Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

D.C. superior court service

President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

nominated Okun on September 20, 2012, to a 15-year term as an associate judge of the

. On November 20, 2012, the

Senate Committee on Homeland Security and 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 ...

held a hearing on his nomination. His nomination expired on January 3, 2013, following the

Adjournment sine die Adjournment ''sine die'' (from Latin 'without a date') is the conclusion of a meeting by a deliberative assembly, such as a legislature or organizational board, without setting a date to reconvene. The assembly can reconvene, either in its pres ...

of the United States Congress. On March 19, 2013, President

renominated Okun to the same court to the seat vacated by Linda Kay Davis. On May 22, 2013, the Committee reported his nomination favorably to the Senate floor and on the following day, May 23, 2013, the full

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

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 November 8, 2013.

Notable rulings

In 2020, Okun signed off on the early release of Darrell Moore as part of D.C’s Incarnation Reduction Amendment Act despite Moore not completing a number of the Act’s metrics, including earning a high school equivalency diploma behind bars, completing vocational training and having housing and a job lined up. Moore was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to 66 years to life. Moore was released after serving 26 years and would soon after be indicted for the murder of Julius Hayes. In 2021, Okun signed off on the early release of Michael Garrett as part of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

-based compassionate release in March. Garrett, of no fixed address, was arrested and charged with assault with intent to kill for the murder of a 71-year-old woman in December 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Okun, Robert 1960 births Living people 21st-century American judges Harvard Law School alumni Judges of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia People from Great Neck, New York University of Pennsylvania alumni