Judge Bios

Robert R. Rigsby was sworn in as an Associate Judge in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on Friday, October 11, 2002 at 4:00 p.m. in the third floor atrium of the H. Carl Moultrie I Courthouse, 500 Indiana Avenue, NW, Washington, D. C. Chief Judge Rufus G. King, III presided. Associate Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby and New York Supreme Court Justice Laura D. Blackburne of New York administered the oath of office.

Robert R. Rigsby was sworn in as an Associate Judge in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on Friday, October 11, 2002 at 4:00 p.m. in the third floor atrium of the H. Carl Moultrie I Courthouse, 500 Indiana Avenue, NW, Washington, D. C. Chief Judge Rufus G. King, III presided. Associate Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby and New York Supreme Court Justice Laura D. Blackburne of New York administered the oath of office.

Mr. Rigsby served as Corporation Counsel for the District of Columbia from February of 2000 until his confirmation by the Senate in July. As the Corporation Counsel for the District of Columbia, the chief legal officer for the District of Columbia, Mr. Rigsby was responsible for conducting all the legal business of the District of Columbia. Mr. Rigsby oversaw a staff of 225 lawyers and 288 support staff and was directly responsible for administering an annual budget of $48 million.

Prior to his appointment as Corporation Counsel, Mr. Rigsby served as the Interim Corporation Counsel, the Acting Principle Deputy Corporation Counsel, the Deputy Corporation Counsel in charge of the Enforcement Division and the Deputy Corporation Counsel in charge of the Criminal Division.

Before joining the Office of the Corporation Counsel, Mr. Rigsby was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. From 1987 to 1992, he served on active duty in the United States Army Judge Advocate Generals Corps. While in the Army, Mr. Rigsby served as a prosecutor, defense attorney, administrative law attorney, international law attorney, law of war attorney, legal advisor to the Multinational Force and Observers, and Special Assistant United States Attorney for Tennessee and Kentucky. As an Army lawyer, he handled a number of sensitive legal issues in countries such as Egypt, Korea, Japan, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. As an Army officer, Mr. Rigsby received a number of awards, decorations, and honors for outstanding trial work and acts of heroism and valor. He is presently a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Reserves.

As part of the President’s National Capital Revitalization and Self-Improvement Act, Mr. Rigsby was selected to serve as one of nine commissioners to recommend modifications to the District of Columbia’s Sentencing Guidelines. He served on the United States District Court’s Committee on Grievances and as Chairman of the District of Columbia Legal Affairs Committee for the 1997 Presidential Inauguration. He has also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland, University College, and the University of the District of Columbia School of Law.

Mr. Rigsby is a member of the Supreme Court of the United States Bar, the District of Columbia Bar, United States District Court Bar, United States Circuit Court Bar, the Hawaii State Bar, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

Mr. Rigsby was a member of the District of Columbia Coalition Against Drugs and Violence. He serves as a mentor for the Youth Enhancement Project of Shiloh Baptist Church’s Family Life Center in Washington, D.C. and was appointed to the Board of Directors of Shiloh Baptist Church’s Family Life Center. Mr. Rigsby and his family are members of Shiloh Baptist Church in Washington, DC. He is also a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

Mr. Rigsby was born in San Francisco, California and raised in Vallejo, California. He received his juris doctor degree from the University of California, San Francisco, Hastings College of the Law. At San Jose State University in California, he received his Bachelor of Science degree with distinction. At the end of his sophomore year in college, Mr. Rigsby earned a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army Reserves.

Judge-designate Rigsby is married to Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, an Associate Judge for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. They are the proud parents of a son, Julian Christopher Rigsby.