Group X: Superior Court and Clerk · Last amended 2022 · Last verified July 14, 2026
In one sentenceRule 79 requires the clerk to keep a civil docket recording every filing, process, appearance, order, and judgment in each case, to preserve copies of final judgments and appealable orders, and to maintain indexes and trial calendars that separate jury from nonjury cases.
(1)In General. The clerk must keep a record known as the "civil docket" in the form and manner prescribed by the Executive Officer of the District of Columbia Courts, subject to the supervision of the Chief Judge. The clerk must enter each civil action in the docket.
(2)Items to Be Entered. The following items must be marked with the file number and entered chronologically in the docket:
(A)papers filed with the clerk;
(B)process issued, and proofs of service or other returns showing execution; and
(C)appearances, orders, verdicts, and judgments.
(3)Contents of Entries; Jury Trial Demanded. Each entry must briefly show the nature of the paper filed or writ issued, the substance of each proof of service or other return, and the substance and date of entry of each order and judgment.
(b)CIVIL JUDGMENTS AND ORDERS. The clerk must keep a copy of every final judgment and appealable order; of every order affecting title to or a lien on real or personal property; and of any other order that the court directs to be kept. The Executive Officer of the District of Columbia Courts will, subject to the supervision of the Chief Judge, prescribe the form and manner in which such copies must be kept.
(c)INDEXES; CALENDARS. Under the court’s direction, the clerk must:
(1)keep indexes of the docket and of the judgments and orders described in Rule 79(b); and
(2)prepare calendars of all actions ready for trial, distinguishing jury trials from nonjury trials.
(d)OTHER RECORDS. The clerk must keep any other records required by the Executive Officer of the District of Columbia Courts, subject to the supervision of the Chief Judge.
(e)ENTRY ON DOCKET. Nothing in these rules precludes a judge or magistrate judge or his or her authorized judicial staff member from making entries on the docket.
Comments
2022 Amendments:
Subsections (a)(1) and (a)(3) were amended to address technical and functional changes necessary to implement the court’s new case management system.
2017 Amendments:
This rule is substantially similar to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 79, as amended in 2007, but maintains two local distinctions—1) references to “Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts with the approval of the Judicial Conference of the United States” have been changed to “Executive Officer of the District of Columbia Courts, subject to the supervision of the Chief Judge”; and 2) section (e), allowing entries by judges or magistrate judges and their staff, has been added.
Comment:
Rule 79 identical to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 79 except for substitution of local administrative references throughout and deletion of the requirement in section (a) that the civil docket be in the form of a book.
Plain-English Summary
The civil docket is the running record of everything that happens in a case, and Rule 79 tells the clerk what has to go into it. Every civil action gets an entry, and papers filed, process issued, proofs of service, appearances, orders, verdicts, and judgments must all be marked with the case's file number and entered in the docket in the order they occur. Each entry has to briefly describe what was filed or issued, summarize any proof of service, and note the substance and date of any order or judgment — enough detail that anyone reading the docket can follow the case's history without pulling the full file.
Beyond the docket itself, the clerk keeps a separate copy of every final judgment and appealable order, every order affecting title to or a lien on property, and anything else the court directs be preserved. The clerk also maintains indexes of the docket and of those judgments and orders, and prepares calendars of cases ready for trial that distinguish jury trials from nonjury trials, along with any other records the Executive Officer of the District of Columbia Courts requires. None of this is exclusively the clerk's job, though — Rule 79(e) makes clear that a judge, a magistrate judge, or authorized judicial staff can make entries on the docket as well.
A 2022 amendment updated how the docket entry requirements work to match the court's newer case management system, a reminder that Rule 79's core purpose — keeping an accurate, accessible record of what happened in a case and when — stays constant even as the technology behind it changes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the civil docket in a DC Superior Court case?
It is the official chronological record the clerk keeps for each civil action, listing filed papers, process issued, proofs of service, appearances, orders, verdicts, and judgments, each marked with the case's file number under Rule 79(a).
Does the clerk keep a separate copy of my final judgment?
Yes. Rule 79(b) requires the clerk to keep a copy of every final judgment and appealable order, along with any order affecting title to or a lien on real or personal property, and anything else the court directs be kept.
Are jury trials and nonjury trials tracked differently on the court's calendars?
Yes. Rule 79(c)(2) requires the clerk to prepare calendars of cases ready for trial that distinguish jury trials from nonjury trials.
Can a judge make an entry on the docket directly, instead of going through the clerk?
Yes. Rule 79(e) states that nothing in the rules stops a judge, magistrate judge, or authorized judicial staff member from making docket entries.
Why was Rule 79 amended in 2022?
The amendment updated the docket entry provisions in Rule 79(a)(1) and (a)(3) to reflect technical and functional changes needed to implement the court's newer case management system.
Source & verification. Rule text and official Comments are
reproduced verbatim from the District of Columbia Superior Court Rules of Civil
Procedure, adopted by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Last verified July 14, 2026.
· Official source
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