District of Columbia § 2-1902 Interpreters required.

District of Columbia Statutes

§ 2-1902 — Interpreters required.

District of Columbia § 2-1902

Title 2Government Administration.

Ch. 19Government Language Accessibility.

Subch. IInterpreters.

This text of District of Columbia § 2-1902 (Interpreters required.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

D.C. Code § 2-1902 (2026).

Text

(a)Whenever a communication-impaired person is a party or witness, or whenever a juvenile whose parent or parents are communication impaired is brought before a court at any stage of a judicial or quasi-judicial proceeding before a division or office of a court of the District of Columbia, including, but not limited to, civil and criminal court proceedings, proceedings before a commissioner, juvenile proceedings, child support and paternity proceedings, and mental health commitment proceedings, the appointing authority may appoint a qualified interpreter to interpret the proceedings to the communication-impaired person and to interpret the communication-impaired person’s testimony. The appointing authority shall appoint a qualified interpreter upon the request of the communication-impaire

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(a) Whenever a communication-impaired person is a party or witness, or whenever a juvenile whose parent or parents are communication impaired is brought before a court at any stage of a judicial or quasi-judicial proceeding before a division or office of a court of the District of Columbia, including, but not limited to, civil and criminal court proceedings, proceedings before a commissioner, juvenile proceedings, child support and paternity proceedings, and mental health commitment proceedings, the appointing authority may appoint a qualified interpreter to interpret the proceedings to the communication-impaired person and to interpret the communication-impaired person’s testimony. The appointing authority shall appoint a qualified interpreter upon the request of the communication-impaired person.

(b) In any criminal, delinquency, or child neglect proceeding in which counsel has been appointed to represent an indigent defendant who is communication-impaired, a qualified interpreter shall be appointed to assist in communication with counsel in all phases of the preparation and presentation of the case.

(c) Whenever a communication-impaired person is a party or a witness in an administrative proceeding before a department, board, commission, agency, or licensing authority of the District of Columbia, the appointing authority conducting the proceeding may appoint a qualified interpreter to interpret the proceedings to the communication-impaired person and to interpret the communication-impaired person’s testimony. The appointing authority shall appoint a qualified interpreter upon the request of the communication-impaired person.

(d) Whenever a communication-impaired person is a witness before any legislative committee, the appointing authority conducting the proceeding may appoint a qualified interpreter to interpret the proceedings to the communication-impaired person and to interpret the communication-impaired person’s testimony. The appointing authority shall appoint a qualified interpreter upon the request of the communication-impaired person.

(1) Whenever a communication-impaired person is arrested and taken into custody for an alleged violation of a criminal law, the arresting officer shall either:

(A) Procure a qualified interpreter to translate or interpret information to and from the person during any custodial interrogation, warning, notification of rights, or taking of a written or oral statement; or

(B) Have a qualified interviewer conduct the custodial interrogation, warning, notification of rights, or taking of a written or oral statement in a language other than English, including sign language.

(2) No person who has been arrested but who is otherwise eligible for release shall be held in custody pending arrival of a qualified interpreter or qualified interviewer.

(3) No answer, statement, or admission, written or oral, made by a communication-impaired person in reply to a question of a law enforcement officer may be used against that communication-impaired person in any criminal or delinquency proceeding unless the answer, statement, or admission was made or elicited through either a qualified interpreter or a qualified interviewer and was made knowingly, voluntarily, and intelligently or, in the case of a waiver, unless the court makes a special finding upon proof by a preponderance of the evidence that the answer, statement, or admission made by the communication-impaired person was made knowingly, voluntarily, and intelligently.

(4) A qualified interpreter shall be used to translate any statement taken by a qualified interviewer into English for use in any criminal or delinquency proceeding.