{"id":286177,"date":"2025-06-10T17:05:52","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T17:05:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/problems-with-d-c-s-new-criminal-record-sealing-statute\/"},"modified":"2025-06-10T17:05:52","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T17:05:52","slug":"problems-with-d-c-s-new-criminal-record-sealing-statute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=286177","title":{"rendered":"Problems with D.C.’s new criminal record sealing statute"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

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There are major problems with D.C.\u2019s new criminal record sealing\/expungement<\/a> statute. \u00a0D.C. Code \u00a7 16-801 et. seq. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

For example, according to one reading of the statutory language, a person charged with a violent felony can seek immediate relief through a motion to seal.\u00a0 Conversely, a person arrested for a minor traffic offense must wait for the record to be automatically sealed by October 1, 2027.<\/p>\n

There is no way D.C. Council intended such a result when it enacted a statute that was designed to facilitate, not restrict, the removal of criminal records.\u00a0 And yet, this is government\u2019s position and at least one judge has agreed with it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It may fall to the D.C. Court of Appeals to resolve this discrepancy with respect to the drafting of the statute.\u00a0 Alas, appeals can take years. \u00a0In the meantime, people with minor criminal records will continue to suffer ramifications with respect to employment, housing, travel and volunteer opportunities. \u00a0<\/p>\n

1. \u00a0A narrow interpretation of the new law ignores the legislature\u2019s intent in enacting the statute.
<\/strong><\/p>\n

The government has argued that, according to the plain language of the statute, sealings by motion are restricted to the more serious offenses.\u00a0 This is ridiculous.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In cases in which statutory language may be ambiguous, courts should look to the legislative history to discern the legislature\u2019s intent.\u00a0 Peoples Drug Store, Inc. v. District of Columbia<\/em>, 470 A.2d 751, 754 (D.C. 1983).\u00a0 \u00a0According to the \u201crule of lenity,\u201d any ambiguity should be resolved in the defendant\u2019s favor.\u00a0 Whitfield v. United States<\/em>, 99 A.3d 650, 652 (D.C. 2014).\u00a0<\/p>\n

In passing the Second Chance Amendment Act of 2022<\/a>, D.C. Council recognized the \u201cimpacts of criminal justice involvement on future life opportunities and recidivism\u201d:\u00a0 \u201cCriminal records, including arrests that never result in conviction, carry significant \u2018collateral consequences\u2019 for housing, employment, public benefits, and education \u2013 even to what extend a parent can volunteer at their child\u2019s school.\u201d\u00a0 D.C. Council, Committee Report on Bill 24-0063, the \u201cSecond Chance Amendment Act of 2022,\u201d Committee on the Judiciary & Public Safety, November 30, 2022, page 4.<\/p>\n

Consistent with this recognition, D.C. Council sought to simplify the District\u2019s out-dated and complicated statute that made it far more difficult to effectuate the sealing of a criminal past.\u00a0 Among other things, the resulting statute provides for automatic expungement of criminal records for decriminalized, legalized or unconstitutional offenses (D.C. Code \u00a7 16-802); expungement of criminal records by motions on the grounds of actual innocence (D.C. Code \u00a7 16-803); automatic sealing of criminal records for certain arrests and misdemeanor convictions (D.C. Code \u00a7 16-805); and sealing by motion for most other criminal arrests and convictions (D.C. Code \u00a7 16-806).<\/p>\n

In short, the government\u2019s interpretation of the statute directly contradicts the legislature\u2019s stated and unequivocal purpose to facilitate, not restrict, the sealing of criminal past. \u00a0D.C. courts should not make the same mistake when reviewing the government\u2019s oppositions. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

2. \u00a0Focus on one particular section of the new statute results in a misinterpretation of the statute\u2019s language.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Statutory interpretation should be a \u201cholistic endeavor,\u201d accounting for \u201cat a minimum . . . the statute\u2019s full text [and] language as well as punctuation, structure, and subject matter.\u201d\u00a0 Long v. United States<\/em>, 312 A.3d 1247, 1259 (D.C. 2024) quoting Hood v. United States<\/em>, 28 A.3d 553, 559 (D.C. 2011). \u00a0As the D.C. Court of Appeals has put it, a statute should be interpreted as a symmetrical and coherent regulatory scheme and fit, if possible, all parts into a harmonious whole.\u201d\u00a0 In re Edmonds,<\/em> 96 A.3d 683, 687 (D.C. 2014).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

With respect to this statute, \u00a716-805(a)(1) provides that, with limited exceptions, \u201cthe Court shall<\/em>order automatic sealing of all criminal records and court proceedings related to . . . citations, arrests, or charges for the commission of a criminal offense; provided, that the case was terminated by the prosecutor or otherwise reached a final disposition and did not result in a conviction. . .\u201d\u00a0 (Emphasis added.)<\/p>\n

Although \u00a7 16-805(c)(1) sets a deadline for the automatic sealing of records that qualify under this section, nothing in the statute prevents the Court from taking earlier action either on its own initiative or in response to a motion. In fact, given the legislature\u2019s interest in clearing criminal records for thousands of D.C. residents and citizens, it can be presumed that the D.C Council would prefer earlier action.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Section 16-806 also authorizes the sealing of criminal records.\u00a0 Although the section specifically provides that certain types of cases require the filing of a motion to effect sealing, nowhere in the statute does it preclude other, less serious cases from also being sealed by motion.\u00a0 In fact, as described in greater detail below, that would be an absurd result.\u00a0<\/p>\n

3. \u00a0A narrow interpretation of the statute would lead to an absurd result.<\/strong> \u00a0<\/p>\n

The government\u2019s interpretation of the statute runs counter to the canon of statutory construction that a statute should not be construed so as to lead to an absurd result.\u00a0 Peoples Drug Stores, Inc. v. District of Columbia<\/em>, 470 A.2d 751, 754 (D.C. 1983); In re D.M.,<\/em> 47 A.3d 539, 549 (D.C. 2012). \u00a0<\/p>\n

According to the government\u2019s position, for example, the Court would have authority to seal charges for a violent felony offense without offering the same relief to a person charged with a traffic infraction.\u00a0 Such a result is clearly not what D.C. Council intended.<\/p>\n

4. \u00a0The government ignores the statute\u2019s \u201csavings clause.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The new statute includes a \u201csavings clause\u201d providing that \u201c[t]his chapter shall not supersede any other provision of the District of Columbia Official Code providing for the expungement, sealing or setting aside of criminal citations, arrests, charges, or convictions.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

A saving clause is a legal provision included in legislation or regulations to preserve certain rights, obligations or liability that were established under a prior law, even after that law has been repealed or amended.\u00a0 See e.g., Sloan v. Allen<\/em>, 323 A.3d 439 (D.C. 2024); United States v. Alston<\/em>, 580 A.2d 587 (D.C. 1990).\u00a0 As such, a saving clause prevents retrospective application of new laws in a way that would disrupt established rights, thereby providing legal stability and fairness.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are major problems with D.C.\u2019s new criminal record sealing\/expungement statute. \u00a0D.C. Code \u00a7 16-801 et. seq. \u00a0 For example, according to one reading of the statutory language, a person charged with a violent felony can seek immediate relief through a motion to seal.\u00a0 Conversely, a person arrested for a minor traffic offense must wait […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[113747,116514],"tags":[14207,90114,13391,5995,43626,35570],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-286177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-criminal-procedure","category-legal-concepts-principles","tag-criminal","tag-d-c-s","tag-problems","tag-record","tag-sealing","tag-statute"],"yoast_head":"\nProblems with D.C.'s new criminal record sealing statute - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=286177\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Problems with D.C.'s new criminal record sealing statute - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There are major problems with D.C.\u2019s new criminal record sealing\/expungement statute. \u00a0D.C. 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