Steven Nathan Berk (born July 2, 1959) is an American lawyer and former judge. He served as an Associate Judge on 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 and civil law, as well as family court, landlor ...

from 2016 to 2021.

Education and career

He was born in Chicago and graduated from

Niles West High School Niles West High School, officially Niles Township High School West or NWHS, is a public four-year high school located in Skokie, Illinois, a north suburb of Chicago in the United States. It is part of Niles Township Community High School District ...

in 1977. Berk earned his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

from

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University i ...

in 1981,

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast ...

from the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 mill ...

in 1982, and

J.D. JD or jd may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''JD'' (film), a 2016 Bollywood film * J.D. (''Scrubs''), nickname of Dr. John Dorian, fictional protagonist of the comedy-drama ''Scrubs'' * JD Fenix, a character from the ''Gears of War'' vi ...

from

Boston College Law School Boston College Law School (BC Law) is the law school of Boston College. It is situated on a wooded campus in Newton, Massachusetts, about 1.5 miles from the university's main campus in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. With approximately 800 studen ...

in 1985. From 1983 to 2009 he worked in private practice in Chicago, Illinois and

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

. From 1989 to 1992 he was a staff attorney for the

United States Securities and Exchange Commission The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The primary purpose of the SEC is to enforce the law against marke ...

. From 1990 to 1995, Berk worked in the U.S. Attorney's Office in the

District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

Assistant United States Attorney An assistant United States attorney (AUSA) is an official career civil service position in the U.S. Department of Justice composed of lawyers working under the U.S. Attorney of each U.S. federal judicial district. They represent the federal go ...

. From 2000–2003, he left practicing law to found a social networking site, iHappen. He then returned to practicing law between 2009 and 2016 when he served of counsel to two law firms and as the principal of Berk Law PLLC.

D.C. Superior Court

President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

nominated Berk on November 30, 2015, to a 15-year term as an associate judge on the

to the seat vacated by Harold L. Cushenberry, Jr. On March 2, 2016, 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 s ...

held a hearing on his nomination. On April 25, 2016, the Committee reported his nomination favorably to the senate floor. The

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 e ...

confirmed his nomination on June 23, 2016, by

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "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 responding v ...

. He was sworn in on July 29, 2016. After the District of Columbia Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure received formal and informal complaints regarding Berk, he agreed to be placed on administrative leave on June 8, 2021, while the Commission conducted an investigation. The Commission subsequently determined that Berk should be involuntarily retired on November 1, 2021, due to violations of Rule 2.5, Canon 2 of the Code of Judicial Conduct for the District of Columbia and health reasons.

Personal life

Steven Berk is married to Jennifer Chandler Hauge, a nonprofit executive.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berk, Steven N. 1959 births Living people 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American judges 21st-century American lawyers Alumni of the London School of Economics Boston College Law School alumni Judges of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia Lawyers from Chicago Washington University in St. Louis alumni