Judge Darren Sebastian Johnson

Judge Darren Sebastian Johnson has always heard fond memories about the University of the District of Columbia and its predecessor schools from his great aunt and great-grandmother who attended Miners Teachers College, so choosing UDC’s David A. Clarke School of Law was an easy choice for him.

This year, he made history as the first Afro-Latino appointed to the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County.

Johnson is proud to carry on the family tradition that began with the educators in his family who were trained at UDC’s predecessor institutions.

“My father’s side of the family had been going to UDC since Miner Teachers College,” he said. “My great aunt helped to establish the National Alumni Society at UDC. She was very involved in promoting the University and the benefits.”

Family legacy is important to Johnson, whose father is also a lawyer and encouraged him to become a judge “He always said I could be a judge. I guess he was right,” Johnson said.

“I’ve interviewed at different law schools, but I was interested in how UDC served the community. It was very family-oriented. The staff, the administration, Dean Broderick at the time and my family ties helped me to know that it would be a great place for me to start my legal career.”

Johnson earned his bachelor’s degree at Howard University in 2000 and graduated with a Juris Doctor degree from UDC Law in 2003. While at UDC, Johnson was involved with various associations including those for entertainment law, Black lawyers, Hispanic lawyers, and constitutional law. He was also the chairman of the Academics Standards Committee at the UDC Law School.

He credits UDC’s Law School for giving him the foundation needed to serve in the county in which he grew up and still lives. He was taught to put service and community first.

“One thing I took from UDC, as the clinical program started to grow, it was very hands-on in being a part of the city,” Johnson said. “It was important to know the citizens and work with them. Some schools wouldn’t want to go to certain places, but UDC was never like that. We were taught to serve the community and to be comfortable and to have compassion. I carry that everywhere.”

Johnson began his legal career in private practice and became attorney advisor for the National Appeals Division of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), handling final appeals for various agencies and programs administered by the USDA. During his time there, he became the first recipient of the Director’s Award for Outstanding Service.

Johnson worked for five years as a family magistrate in Prince George’s County, seeing cases involving issues ranging from divorce to child custody.

His appointment to the Prince George’s County Circuit Court in January was the last made by former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan. Johnson’s current role as Circuit Court judge involves overseeing a broad range of cases including robbery, murder, assault, civil and domestic cases and workers’ compensation.

“When you are sentencing someone, you take everything into account,” he said. “You are weighing the value of someone’s life versus the value of redemption for someone else, while also making a family feel whole and that they’ve received justice. You must have some empathy in those situations, and that’s what I’ve taken from UDC.”

In addition to his legal work, Johnson served as vice president on the Board of Directors for Community Legal Services and volunteers at various food-focused charitable organizations. He is an active member of the Prince George’s County Bar Association, the J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association, where he is co-chair of the Judicial Council Committee, the Maryland Hispanic Bar Association, the Maryland State Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

Born in Washington, DC, and raised in PG County, Johnson credits the compassion of his parents and his upbringing in helping him gain a broader perspective of cultures and societal challenges. His mother is from Panama City, Panama, and his father is African American from Northeast DC.

“Being the first Afro-Latino carries a lot of weight to a certain extent,” Johnson said. “It’s important for people in the DMV to know there is representation on the bench. People want to know that you understand their community. They want to know that they are coming before the bench with a fair chance.”