The Honorable Elizabeth L. Gunn has served as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the District of Columbia since 2020. A COVID-era selection and appointment, she was sworn in by Zoom from her living room. A frequent speaker and author on bankruptcy topics, Judge Gunn brings a unique perspective to her presentations not only as the only bankruptcy judge in both the District of Columbia and the D.C. Circuit, but also from her service as an Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia Division of Child Support Enforcement.
In 2017, Judge Gunn was recognized by the American Bankruptcy Institute as a member of its inaugural class of 40 Under 40. Judge Gunn also serves as an Associate Editor for the American Bankruptcy Law Journal and a Coordinating and Associate Editor of the American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review. Judge Gunn sits on the boards of the Federal Bar Association Bankruptcy Section, International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation, American Bar Association National Conference of Federal Trial Judges, the Chesapeake Chapter of the Turnaround Management Association, and is the host of the popular American Bar Association Business Law Section Podcast “Bad Boys of Bankruptcy.” She is a member of the Walter Chandler Bankruptcy Inn of Court and is Board Certified in Consumer Law by the American Board of Certification. Judge Gunn received her BA, cum laude, from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon and her law degree, cum laude, from Boston College Law School.
Communication
(202) 354-3030
Clerkship Information
Judge Gunn accepts applications for the term law clerk position through OSCAR only. Applications sent directly to chambers will not be accepted.
In accordance with the Federal Law Clerk Hiring Plan, chambers will not contact applicants for the 2027-2028 term before 12:00 p.m. on June 9, 2026, and will not conduct interviews before 12:00 p.m. on June 10, 2026
Internship Information
Judge Gunn welcomes internship applications for spring, summer, and fall. Chambers generally prefers to receive spring applications by September 15th, summer applications by February 15th, and fall applications by June 15th, but applicants should follow any alternate deadlines listed in chambers postings and note that applications are considered on a rolling basis.
Applications, which consist of a single PDF containing a resume, writing sample, transcript, cover letter, and list of references, must be sent to Gunn_Chambers@dcb.uscourts.gov. Mailed applications will not be considered. Chambers will contact applicants selected for interviews.
S. Martin Teel, Jr. has served as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the District of Columbia since 1988. Upon graduating in 1970 from the University of Virginia School of Law, he clerked for Judge Roger Robb of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. From 1971 to 1988, he served at the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (first as a trial attorney and then as an assistant section chief), representing the government in civil tax matters (including bankruptcy cases).
Judge Teel retired effective March 22, 2020, and is currently recalled through March 29, 2027.
Communication
(202) 354-3530