The Hon. Charmetra L. Jackson Parker is a magistrate judge for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. She was appointed to the bench by Chief Judge Anita Josey-Herring in May 2022.
Prior to her appointment, Parker had worked as an assistant attorney general with the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia since 2005. During that time, she was detailed to the Office of the Solicitor General for the District of Columbia in 2013, where she handled appeals of abuse and neglect matters, termination of parental rights, and adoptions.
In addition, Parker managed unaccompanied refugee minor cases and acted as a supervisor to attorneys assigned to the Safe Shores Child Advocacy Center. Then, in 2014, she was named section chief of the Child Protection Section of the Attorney General’s Office. Parker also served as a representative of the office, including as co-chair of the District of Columbia Superior Court Education Subcommittee and the Court Education Workgroup.
Parker received a B.A. in pre-law studies from the University of West Florida. She then completed a J.D. at Wake Forest University School of Law. While a law student, Parker was a member of the Moot Court Team.
After graduating from law school, she began her legal career as an associate at a law firm in Baltimore City. At the firm, Parker handled a general practice and served as a child advocate, tasked with representing abused or neglected children.
She trained school staff for the Office of the State Superintendent on mandated reporting as a member of an expert panel and was a guest speaker at the Child Welfare Clinic at Georgetown Law School.
Parker was born in Brunswick, Maine, and raised in Pensacola, Florida.