Judge Bios

The Honorable Vijay Shanker was appointed to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in December 2022 by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

Judge Shanker was the Deputy Chief of the Appellate Section in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, where he worked since 2005. He was previously Counselor and Acting Deputy Chief of Staff to the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division and Senior Litigation Counsel in the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section at the Department of Justice.

Earlier in his career, Judge Shanker was an associate at Mayer Brown from 2004 to 2005 and at Covington & Burling from 1999 to 2000 and 2001 to 2004. He served as a law clerk for Judge Chester J. Straub on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 2000 to 2001.

He received his J.D., Order of the Coif, from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1999 and his B.A., cum laude, from Duke University in 1994.

Judge Shanker has been awarded the Attorney General’s John Marshall Award for Outstanding Legal Achievement for the Handling of Appeals, the Assistant Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service, and the Assistant Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service, as well as the South Asian Bar Association of DC Public Sector Trailblazer Award and the University of Virginia School of Law Shaping Justice Award for Prosecution. Until recently, he served as Vice President of the Board of Directors of Calvary Women’s Services.

Judge Shanker lives in the District with his wife and 14-year-old daughter.