Moultrie Courthouse

Marriage license application was a breeze. We went at 3pm the Tuesday after a Monday holiday, and the place was empty. We had expected long lines and a difficult process, but it went smoothly. Tips: 1) Go on a Tuesday afternoon, 2) read and fill out the marriage license application form prior to arrival, 3) Have valid, unexpired IDs for both members of the couple (We were coming from different parts of town, so one of us had both passports, the other both driver’s licenses– we ended up using the passports– only one person has to be there, but they need the IDs for both), and 4) Bring exact cash.

Come as a juror, not as a defendant!
If you want to see all of DC, this is the place to people watch, everyone comes through this place, the good and the bad.

This place is the epitome of a bureaucratic cluster-​f.
After waiting in a line that was literally out-​the-​door of the courthouse, we made our way to the marriage application center. (It was on the same floor as the domestic violence unit and the criminal division – romantic, huh?) After signing in, we submitted our license application to a nice enough, but clearly disgruntled, civil servant. We then proceeded down the hall to another room, only to sign in & wait again, just to pay for the license. Why this could not be done in the same room, or even by the same person, shows the duplicative nature of the system.
PRO: We got to pay with a credit card and walked away with a marriage license the same day.

Fast, friendly service. Went for copies of marriage certificate about 10 minutes after it was open, and was out in less than 10.

I come here with clients and I have an okay experience there.
Well, sometimes lines going in sucks because they only have 2 security check in points and when you’re running late it totally holds up the process.
Never expect to be called on your scheduled time anyways… So make sure park where you won’t get ticket if you’re there past 2 hours.

Today, had jury duty. And, I was called to a case as a potential juror only to be dismissed at the end. It was a long day of waiting. It was good to be reminded of the laborious and strident process of selecting a jury of peers. When it’s all said and done our system strives to get it right. Jury selection is a pain. But, it’s a duty, as citizens, we should embrace.
The courtroom was HOT. Uncomfortable.

The marriage bureau process sucks. Do not believe anything they say over the phone. If you think that they have one bit of integrity. Think again. If you read the website do not trust it. Just come in and find out what the flavor is of the week. I came in and there attitude sucks and they do not accept any of the garbage you hear from the supervisor on the phone. So now I have been here for a while and just hanging out. We will see if they renig on what they say when I am still here. I hate this place. If you are using an officiant even if your form is notarized get a copy of an Id. I know it does not say that but just get one. It could be fake but they will accept it. Get something with a picture and name. Once you have that then you can come do something. Something is the key right now. More to come.

I had to serve jury duty here and it was actually way better than I thought it would be so I decided to review.
The screening process isn’t bad when coming into the building and everyone was pretty helpful in the building with directing you to where you need to go. When you go up to the second level there is a large hall considered the jury waiting area. You sign in and then you go to a big room with comfortable chairs and a few TVs.
We watched a juror orientation video twice. It was pretty funny and informative and a break from watching CNN for almost 3 hours. I brought my ipad so I kept myself busy.
We had a few breaks between the calling of jurors so we were allowed to go the basement of the building where they have a sandwich and coffee shop (the coffee was pretty good by the way). They gave us an hour break for lunch and the courthouse was conveniently located by Penn Quarter. So there was an ample amount of restaurants to choose from (I went to Protein Bar). After lunch we came back in and they kept us there for another 30 mins. Then we were dismissed for the day.
Note: You can bring your cell phones, ipads, tablets etc… There is free WiFi

Talked to a very kind rep at the Marriage Bureau and got clarification on some of their online content/​guidance:
— Only one person need to be present to file the application for a marriage license. That person needs to bring the picture ID’s of both parties.
— The marriage license can be picked up the same day if you fill out a waiver form in person and then wait for the license. Otherwise, you can give a third party your receipt and they can pick up the license three days later.
— You can submit the date and time request for a civil ceremony at the same time as you submit the application for a marriage license. They are booked 3 – 4 weeks out.
— The civil ceremony is held in the same building as the Marriage Bureau.
— 10 – 15 seated people can fit in the room where they hold the ceremony.
— Pictures are only allowed in the ceremony room.
— Tipping the person that performs the ceremony is not allowed.
⁴⁄₅ stars only because some of the online content is a mismatch for what was told to me over the phone.

Got my marriage license in about 15 minutes; everyone was super nice, and finance clerk congratulated me when I went to pay. They now take credit cards in addition to cash as payment, but their website hasn’t been updated to show that.

Okay this is weird to review a courthouse but here it goes. As a DC resident and having to serve my civic duty every once in a while, Moultrie Courthouse is very convenient for me. The courthouse i close to the metro for easy commute and if you get a break for punch form your duty, there are a lot of restaurants in the area for you to enjoy. The screening process as you enter is not bad. All in all no complaints here.

If you have jury duty, you can bring anything (computers, books, phones) but know that there are only a couple of plugs for over 50 people and they aren’t easy to access. There is a working area but you willl frequently have to leave that area for when juries are selected. Jury selection involves going to the court and being asked questions, at which point the attorneys will either try to select or eliminate you. If you are eliminated, you return to the jurors’ lounge and work areas and await another jury selection. It is possible that the courts can decide that they will not have any more jury selections for a day and everyone will be released. However, it’s difficult to determine that ahead of time and you should plan to sit for long hours until you are dismissed at around 5pm. There is parking on the stree and in garages nearby, but the Navy Archives (green/​yellow line) station is only about 1.5 blocks away from the courthouse. Basically, it’s like sitting in an airport all day but without anyplace to wander or any stores to buy food. Speaking of which, you can bring food and drinks inside the building but you cannot bring them into the court rooms.

An afternoon trip to the Moultrie Courthouse totally sucked all of the romance of applying for a marriage license due to the long waits, lack of chairs, tiny winny of Kelly Clarkson playing on an ancient clock radio and the fact that the Marriage License Bureau sits right next door to the Domestic Family Violence office.
However, I definitely have to give four stars to this over worked judicial office. The lines were long but everybody was taken care of in an efficient manner. You could truly tell that the workers at this office cared about the people that they were working with. One couple had wanted to get married that day because a partner was going to get shipped off in the army. Unfortunately the ceremony site was booked over a month in advance but the clerk tried to make special accommodations and give the couple solid advice on where they could get married in a jiffy (The answer: PG County).
The wait is long but this is a great place to people watch. I saw one couple come out of their marriage ceremony wearing matching Hawaiian shirts and black pants and another adorable older man couple wear matching short sleeved plaid button down tee shirts, khaki pants, white socks and white sneakers. Adorbs! Even though we were in a boring office setting it was evident that love was flowing throughout the room.
For those looking to apply for a marriage license, here are a few tips:
1) Download the application and fill out beforehand. To get married you will only need a driver’s license and both partners must be present.
2) Once you arrive to the Marriage Bureau make sure to sign in at the front desk
3) It will most likely be a long wait so make sure your mobile phone is fully charged and your partner is ready for a gut wrenching round of Words with Friends.
4) After going through the line and signing the paperwork (which takes less than 10 minutes) you must go to their downstairs level to pay for the certificate. It costs $ 45 and you must bring cash.
5) You can pick up your certificate about a week later
6) If you are planning on getting married in the courthouse, you will need to plan your ceremony at least a month in advance!

I mean… its a courthouse not too much criticize I feel pretty safe in there and it works quick enough. Nice.

The service a thousand times better when I drove in. However, if you are like me you like to scout both online and on the phone first before heading to one of these places so you have the right documents. They should still revisit their website and phone services.

I was recently obligated to spend some time here because of reasons. I’ll plead the fifth on why exactly. For the record, I’m not a lawyer, these are just suggestions to make your visit go smoothly.
TL;DR — Use C ST entrance. Don’t be silly about security. If you’re here for jury duty be prepared to wait.
If you use Judiciary Square, take the courthouse exit. When you reach the street level on the escalators, you’ll be facing the Henry J. Daly Building aka MPD HQ. Take a right on Indiana Ave and cross the street. After you pass MPD HQ take a left, go down the stairs. Ta-​da! John Marshall Entrance. Continue forward and to the right and bam! C St Entrance.
Security can be erratic and sometimes surprisingly long in the mornings. Sometimes entrances were closed. If you have an appointment before a judge it would behoove you to show up super early. Just leave your contraband (metal forks, pocket knives, alcohol) at home. Don’t try to hide it in the bushes. You might get wanded even if you don’t beep. You may be required to show the content of a cup.
C Street — usually has the shortest line but that magnometer (the doorway type thing you walk through) is really sensitive. They always asked to see my belt. «It’s at home» while mildly funny, is NOT an appropriate response. There’s one security guy who really does not appreciate sass of any sort.
John Marshall/​Family Court — occasionally was closed. Shorter lines than Indiana, longer than C ST. MPD officers often use this entrance. Just let them go by, they go through quicker than you anyway.
Indiana Avenue — Oh my gosh, the lines. It seems like people who don’t know how security procedures work tend to use this entrance. I went through here once and then never again. If there’s a high profile event at the courthouse, the media hangs out around this entrance/​exit.
The café in the basement has good pastries, they’re fantastic if you warm them up a bit. Do not drink the coffee. It’s like battery acid. I had a day long bad taste in my mouth the two times I drank it. One time an associate got bad milk in her latte.
Here for jury duty? Head to the third floor. Take a left. See that line, that’s for you. People in the juror’s office are nice and helpful. They try to make it as pleasant as possible. But it will probably involve you spending a lot of time waiting. As of May 2012, the microwave in the juror’s lounge does not work.
I really love the motto. Open To All, Trusted By All, Justice For All.

About a month ago, I got this sinking feeling when I opened my mailbox and found a jury summons inside. It was my first. After reading it, filling it in and mailing it back, I looked at the address and thought… umm where the eff is Indiana Ave? Makes perfect sense that it’s right off the Judiciary Square metro station.
Fast forward a month and I find myself riding the metro at 7:30am experiencing the commute that most other DC-​ers have. (I work in Bethesda so I have the opposite commute). Upon exiting the Judiciary Square metro, I had a little bit of difficulty deciphering which building was actually the Moultrie Courthouse; due to construction in the area, there was a lack of signage. I found another lost soul and we navigated our way to the courthouse and eventually found our way to the juror line on the 3^rd floor.
The Courthouse itself is quite nice; clean, fairly easy to navigate, friendly people to point you in the right direction should you get lost, vending machines, Firehook in the basement, etc. The security to get in the building didn’t take forever even as a plebe. I think they had a separate line for employees.
So once we stood in line, we all checked in, got our badge and then sat in the juror lounge. The juror lounge was a long room with lots of chairs and several TVs. The TVs were used for the Juror Orientation video (which I watched twice) and they also played movies while we waited to see if a judge wanted to call a panel. There was excellent communication with the workers and jurors; they provided frequent updates and were very receptive to questions. We also got one hour for lunch (I went to Proof) which was nice.
I have to say, the waiting area for potential jurors is alright. They do their best to accomodate those who still need to get work done by offering free wi-​fi, a business lounge where there were desks, a fax, printer and whatnot. Had I known this, I’d have brought my laptop to keep myself from dying of boredom.
In the end, I did not get picked so it was basically just a day of waiting around. It wasn’t so terrible that I hated my life that day but I’m glad that I’ll never have to do it again *(because I’m moving) or (at least for 24 months if I still lived in DC).