Council for Court Excellence

Council for Court Excellence We bring people together to conduct research, educate, and advocate to make D.C.’s unique legal systems more just, equitable, and accountable to the community.

CCE was founded in 1982 by leaders in the District’s civic, legal, government, and business sectors in the wake of a comprehensive report by the District of Columbia Court System Study Committee of the DC Bar (Study Committee), chaired by Charles A. Horsky. CCE’s founding president, mobilized leaders to create an organization that would lead the charge in making the District’s court system effective, efficient, and fair for everyone.

🚨 D.C.’s courts are already under significant strain, and they're now facing a proposed funding cut of nearly 13%, even ...
08/17/2026

🚨 D.C.’s courts are already under significant strain, and they're now facing a proposed funding cut of nearly 13%, even as criminal and civil case filings continue to rise. 🚨

A functioning legal system requires more than judges. It requires the staff, technology, security, and infrastructure necessary to keep cases moving and ensure the fair and timely administration of justice.

CCE is calling on businesses, nonprofit organizations, community groups, and individuals to join us in urging the U.S. Senate to fully fund the D.C. Courts’ FY2027 budget request.

Add your name or organization to the sign-on letter by August 31 at 5 PM. 👇

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=H8EU4oGevE6RDB0OROFP1qnCU4eZYXJEvAxDODeqZ5VUM0E1QjNIN0paN1YwTExYUUQ1T08yNVJETiQlQCN0PWcu

The more voices standing together, the stronger the message. Please sign on and share this call to action with your networks.

“Public safety doesn’t stop with an arrest.”As D.C.’s criminal caseload has surged, the infrastructure needed to move ca...
08/13/2026

“Public safety doesn’t stop with an arrest.”

As D.C.’s criminal caseload has surged, the infrastructure needed to move cases through the justice system has struggled to keep pace. Criminal filings have nearly tripled since FY23, while court funding has remained essentially flat and case clearance rates have fallen sharply.

In a recent NOTUS article, CCE's Executive Director Misty Thomas Zaleski emphasized that lasting public safety requires investment beyond enforcement alone, including strong courts, housing, health care, and social services.

Read the full article to learn more about the pressures facing D.C.’s justice system: https://www.notus.org/metro/national-guard-deployment-dc-anniversary

Today, CCE applauds the confirmation of eight new D.C. judges, the largest group of local judges confirmed in years and ...
08/10/2026

Today, CCE applauds the confirmation of eight new D.C. judges, the largest group of local judges confirmed in years and an important step toward reducing judicial vacancies in the District. But judges cannot deliver justice alone. ⬇️

D.C.’s courts also need the clerks, court reporters, interpreters, security personnel, technology staff, and other critical resources that keep cases moving and ensure residents can access timely justice.

Congress has taken an important step by addressing judicial vacancies. Now, it must ensure proposed funding cuts do not create a new crisis for D.C.’s courts. A stronger bench needs a strong court system behind it. 💪

Washington, D.C.’s courts are at a breaking point. 🚨 Rising caseloads, security threats, staffing shortages, and years o...
08/06/2026

Washington, D.C.’s courts are at a breaking point. 🚨 Rising caseloads, security threats, staffing shortages, and years of insufficient funding are straining a system that has already stretched every available resource.

Justice cannot be served without a court system that has the capacity to operate safely, efficiently, and fairly. Congress must address the D.C. courts’ budget crisis before delays deepen and more residents, families, victims, and defendants are left waiting for resolution.

Read Chief Judges Anna Blackburne-Rigsby and Milton Lee Jr.’s urgent call to action in The Washington Post Magazine. 👇

http://washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/08/06/dc-courts-lack-funding-congress/

What if a behavioral health crisis led to support instead of an arrest? 🤔Prearrest diversion connects eligible people to...
08/04/2026

What if a behavioral health crisis led to support instead of an arrest? 🤔

Prearrest diversion connects eligible people to services before they enter the criminal legal system, helping address underlying needs while improving outcomes, conserving public resources, and promoting community safety.

As D.C. considers a new prearrest diversion program, CCE joined DC Justice Lab, ACLU of the District of Columbia, and Georgetown Law's Center for Innovations in Community Safety in urging the D.C. Council to strengthen the proposed pilot.

Our recommendations include broader eligibility, greater use of non-law-enforcement responses, stronger officer training and participation, and more meaningful community input.

Read the joint letter and learn how D.C. has an opportunity to get prearrest diversion right: https://www.courtexcellence.org/news-items/pre-arrest-diversion-program-vision

D.C.’s jail population is surging. 📈 More than 2,300 people were held on several days this summer, the highest level in ...
07/31/2026

D.C.’s jail population is surging. 📈 More than 2,300 people were held on several days this summer, the highest level in over a decade.

Read our new fact sheet to learn what is driving this increase and why D.C. must act now to safely reduce the jail population and move forward with plans to renovate and replace its jail facilities.

https://www.courtexcellence.org/news-items/july-2026-jailpopulation

8 DC judicial nominees are headed for Senate floor votes. That includes 2 nominees who would bring the Court of Appeals ...
07/30/2026

8 DC judicial nominees are headed for Senate floor votes. That includes 2 nominees who would bring the Court of Appeals to full strength for the first time in ~13 years.

But as our Executive Director Misty Thomas Zaleski told Bloomberg Law: new judges can't offset an $18M cut to court funding. You can't strengthen one part of the system and starve the rest.

Read the full story from Bloomberg Law: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/senate-gears-up-to-confirm-judges-for-backlogged-local-dc-courts

Stay connected with CCE! Sign up for our quarterly newsletter to receive the latest updates, event invitations, new publ...
07/28/2026

Stay connected with CCE! Sign up for our quarterly newsletter to receive the latest updates, event invitations, new publications, and more.... delivered straight to your inbox.

Subscribe now ➡️ 📧 courtexcellence.org

Important update for our DC Community 🚨 The Senate Homeland Security Committee confirmed all DC courts' nominees 10-2 th...
07/24/2026

Important update for our DC Community 🚨 The Senate Homeland Security Committee confirmed all DC courts' nominees 10-2 this week. (Article link in comments.)

While we don't know when the full Senate will consider these nominations, it is numerically possibly the Senate could do an en bloc vote (a 10-day process) before it recesses on August 7.

If you're unfamiliar with the en bloc process, check out this article: https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R48729

Want to better understand adult felony sentencing trends in D.C.? ➡️ Join the D.C. Sentencing Commission for a virtual o...
07/23/2026

Want to better understand adult felony sentencing trends in D.C.? ➡️ Join the D.C. Sentencing Commission for a virtual overview of its 2025 Annual Report.

August 5 | 1–2 p.m. ET

Open to community members, students, practitioners, advocates, and anyone interested in D.C.’s criminal legal system.

Register: https://dc-gov.zoom.us/meeting/register/lmbYgB2XS-GdcTC7yQdOPQ #/registration

Address

999 E Street NW
Washington D.C., DC
20004

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+12027855917

Website

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