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The Roles of COHR Administrative Judges and Staff
A variety of private and public sector discrimination cases are certified to and, ultimately, adjudicated at the District of Columbia Commission on Human Rights (“COHR”) and Office of Human Rights, respectively. COHR’s / OHR’s Administrative Judges preside over evidentiary hearings and make decisions in these contested cases —with the Chief Administrative Judge supervising COHR Staff and Associate Administrative Judges—and overseeing and presiding over COHR and OHR Hearing Unit cases.
COHR staff may include Legal Assistants and Fellows (or law clerks)— with the latter having been selected for the D.C. Commission on Human Rights/Georgetown Law Partner Fellowship program — as well as judicial interns and externs.
Current Administrative Judges and Staff
Abigail R. Coleman (she/her/hers)
Chief Administrative Judge
Abigail R. Coleman joined the District of Columbia Office of Human Rights (OHR) as Chief Administrative Judge with over twenty years of experience in civil rights and employment discrimination law. Immediately prior to joining OHR, she served in several key roles at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), including Senior Attorney and Hearings Coordinator in the Office of Federal Operations and Senior Attorney-Advisor in the Office of Chair Charlotte A. Burrows. Chief Administrative Judge Coleman previously served as an Administrative Judge in the EEOC Washington Field Office for over twelve years. At EEOC, she developed an expertise in federal sector employment discrimination law and a passion for adjudication, alternative dispute resolution, and problem-solving. She has also served as a Senior Attorney for the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), Office of General Counsel. In her tenure at GAO, she provided legal advice and support to GAO’s Office of Opportunity and Inclusiveness. Earlier in her career, she clerked for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Administrative Law Judges, resolving labor-related administrative disputes.
Chief Administrative Judge Coleman received her Bachelor of Arts degree with Honors in Comparative Literature from the University of Michigan and her Juris Doctor cum laude from American University’s Washington College of Law.
Henry E. Floyd Jr. (he/him)
Associate Judge
Associate Judge Henry E. Floyd, Jr. received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Southern Mississippi and his Juris Doctor from Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
A former litigator, general counsel, policy counsel, and civil and human rights attorney, Associate Judge Floyd has advocated for injured workers and victims of medical malpractice incidents, guided board of directors through difficult decisions, and fought for access to justice for disenfranchised communities. Associate Judge Floyd has held several leadership positions in nationally recognized professional organizations, including President of the Washington Council of Lawyers; President of the Washington Bar Association, Inc.; President of the Washington Bar Association Educational Foundation, Inc.; Vice President of the National Bar Association; Member of the D.C. Superior Court Advisory Merit Selection Panel; and Vice Chair of the D.C. Commission on Human Rights. Associate Judge Floyd is an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center.
As a result of his advocacy and community work, Associate Judge Floyd has received numerous professional awards. He was awarded the 2024 President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.’s Gold Volunteer Service Award, having volunteered more than 500 hours of service to the Washington Bar Association, Inc. during one bar year. He was awarded the National Bar Association Young Lawyers Division’s Junius W. Williams Young Lawyer of the Year Award in 2019; the National Bar Association’s Top 40 Under 40: Nation’s Best Advocates Award in 2018; the Washington Bar Association’s Lawyer of the Year Award in 2018; the National Black Lawyers’ Top 40 Under 40 Award in 2018 and 2019; the Daily Record’s Leadership in Law: Generation J.D. Award and its VIP List: Successful by 40 Award. In 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, Associate Judge Floyd received the National Bar Association’s prestigious Presidential Award.
Prior COHR Administrative Judges, Staff, and In Memoriam
Contact Information
Email:
Phone: (202) 727-0656
This webpage was last updated on February 6, 2026.
