Prologue To District Of Columbia Democracy And The Third Branch Of Government

Authors

John W. Nields
Timothy J. May

Abstract

Why does the President of the United States appoint the judges of the District of Columbia's local court system? Why is the District of Columbia's local court system funded and overseen by the United States Congress? Why does the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia and not the Attorney General for the District of Columbia function as a local prosecutor, prosecuting most D.C. Code crimes in the District of Columbia's courts? The four essays which follow this introduction explore the rich history behind these unusual structural features of the District of Columbia government; they present the arguments for and against the status quo; and they grapple with the question of whether this structure comports with the ideals of democracy.

First Page

5

Recommended Citation

John W. Nields & Timothy J. May, Prologue To District Of Columbia Democracy And The Third Branch Of Government, 11 U.D.C. L. Rev. 5 (2008).
Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.udc.edu/udclr/vol11/iss1/3