Judge-Designate Long was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania and has lived in the

District of Columbia since early childhood. She grew up in the Michigan Park section of

Northeast Washington, and attended Bunker Hill Elementary School and Taft and Backus

Junior High Schools. She graduated from Calvin Coolidge High School in 1967. Ms. Long

received her undergraduate and law degrees from Georgetown University and was the first

black woman to graduate from the prestigious Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service

at Georgetown.

Upon her graduation from law school in 1974, Ms. Long was a clerk for the

Honorable Spottswood W. Robinson, III on the United States Court of Appeals for the

District of Columbia Circuit. She was hired in 1975 as an Assistant United States Attorney

for the District of Columbia, serving as a prosecutor in the federal and local courts until late

1979. From that time until August, 1982, she was an attorney in the Civil Division of the

United States Attorney’s Office, handling defensive litigation on behalf of many federal

agencies. Her civil trial experience included cases involving torts, contracts, injunctive relief,

and administrative law.

Mr. Long gained further experience in more complex litigation while employed from

1982 to 1985 as a staff attorney in the Division of Land and Natural Resources at the

Department of Justice. Her responsibilities there included the prosecution of white collar

criminal cases based upon violations of various environmental statutes. She also handled

civil cases on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency, enforcing the Superfund Act,

the Clean Water Act, and related statutes.

In the spring of 1985, the Board of Trustees of the Public Defender Service for the

District of Columbia appointed Cheryl Long to be the agency’s new Director. This agency

was established by Congress in 1970 to provide legal representation to indigent persons

charged with offenses in the courts of the District of Columbia. It is widely recognized as the

finest public defender office in the United States. Upon her appointment, Ms. Long

became the first black woman to head a public defender office in any major American City.

As the Director, Ms. Long supervised the equivalent of a law firm of 61 attorneys and 62

support staff, serving thousands of clients each year. Her tenure as Public Defender has

provided Ms. Long with opportunities to observe issues that affect the entire court system.

For example, she has served as a member of Superior Court Sentencing Guidelines

Commission.

Throughout her career, Ms. Long has been active in many bar associations, such as

the Washington Bar Association, the Women’s Bar Association and others. She has also

served as a member of the Committee on Grievances of the United States District Court.

Over the years, Ms. Long has been honored for her accomplishments by other citizens in

the District of Columbia. For example, the Georgetown University Alumni Club of

Metropolitan Washington presented her with an award in 1986 as its outstanding graduate

for that year.

On a more personal note, Ms. Long is the oldest daughter of the late Dr. Clarence

M. Long, Jr., who was for many yeas the pastor of Mt. Airy Baptist Church in the District of

Columbia. Dr. Long was a noted preacher and a community leader who was widely

respected throughout the District of Columbia. Ms. Long herself continues to be active in

her church congregation.