Joshua Deahl

Joshua Deahl
Associate Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 6, 2020
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byEric T. Washington
Personal details
BornJoshua Adam Deahl[1]
(1981-02-13) February 13, 1981
Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
SpouseJessica Deahl[2]
Children3
EducationArizona State University (BA)
University of Michigan (JD)

Joshua Adam Deahl (born February 13, 1981) is an American attorney who has served as an associate judge on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals since January 2020.[3][4]

Education and career

Deahl earned his Bachelor of Arts from Arizona State University in 2003[5] and his Juris Doctor from University of Michigan Law School in 2006.[6]

After graduating from law school, Deahl clerked for Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Judge Fortunato Benavides[6] and Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Anthony Kennedy.[7] Deahl worked as an attorney for the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia and in private practice.[7]

District of Columbia Court of Appeals

On June 29, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Deahl to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.[8] His nomination expired on January 4, 2019, with the end of the 115th United States Congress.[9]

Trump renominated Deahl on May 2, 2019, to a 15-year term as an associate judge on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals to the seat vacated by Eric T. Washington.[10] On October 22, 2019, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held a hearing on his nomination.[11] On November 6, 2019, the Committee reported his nomination favorably to the senate floor. On November 21, 2019, the full Senate confirmed his nomination by voice vote.[3] He was sworn in on January 6, 2020.[12]

AI in the Law

Judge Deahl was one of the first judges to openly use AI in a judicial opinion when, in a dissent, he shared some exchanges he had with an LLM when scrutinizing his view that one could say beyond a reasonable doubt that there was a "plain and strong likelihood" that a dog left in a car in 98 degree heat for 1 hour and 20 minutes would be harmed. [13]

In the fall of 2025, Judge Deahl co-taught the first law school course focused on AI use in the judiciary. [14] He is teaching a similar course, AI in Appellate Practice and Judicial Decisionmaking, at UChicago Law in the fall semester of 2026.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Questionnaire for Nominees to the District of Columbia Courts" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs. October 22, 2019. p. 33. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  2. ^ "Opening Statement of Joshua A. Deahl" (PDF). hsgac.senate.gov. October 22, 2019. Retrieved 19 Oct 2025.
  3. ^ a b "PN704 — Joshua A. Deahl — The Judiciary". United States Congress. November 21, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  4. ^ "Norton Relieved at D.C. Confirmations, Urges Senate to Fill Vacancies". United States Congress. November 22, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  5. ^ "The Honorable Joshua Deahl" (PDF). District of Columbia Courts.
  6. ^ a b "Opening Statement of Joshua A. Deahl" (PDF). United States Senate. October 22, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Rodgers, Jack (2019-10-22). "Senators Advance DC Judicial Picks and Marshal Nominee". Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  8. ^ "Seventeen Nominations Sent to the Senate Today". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved 2019-12-16 – via National Archives.
  9. ^ "PN727 - Nomination of Joshua A. Deahl for The Judiciary, 115th Congress (2017-2018)". www.congress.gov. 2019-01-04. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  10. ^ "Seven Nominations Sent to the Senate". whitehouse.gov. May 2, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019 – via National Archives.
  11. ^ "Nominations of Joshua A. Deahl to be an Associate Judge, District of Columbia Court of Appeals; Deborah J. Israel and Andrea L. Hertzfeld to be Associate Judges, Superior Court of the District of Columbia; and Robert A. Dixon to be United States Marshal for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia". United States Senate. October 22, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  12. ^ "Appellate Attorney and Former Supreme Court Law Clerk Joshua Deahl sworn in as Newest DCCA Judge". District of Columbia Courts. Retrieved 2020-01-12.
  13. ^ https://www.dccourts.gov/sites/default/files/2025-02/Ross-v-United-States-23-CM-1067-S.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ^ https://law.washu.edu/news/washu-law-expands-ai-training-and-education-to-the-judiciary/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
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