Frank E. Schwelb

Frank Ernest Schwelb (June 24, 1932 – August 13, 2014) was a judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.

Schwelb was born in Prague, where his father Egon Schwelb was a Jewish human rights lawyer, and his mom Caroline Schwelb had earned a Ph.D. in German studies from the University of Prague. He enjoyed flowery turns of phrase and was known to quote Shakespeare or Gilbert and Sullivan in his opinions. In 1980, he was the victim of a robbery and was shot when he refused to turn over his wallet. In his first opinion back on the bench after a two-month recovery, he wrote about the incident and his assailants, who "unsuccessfully attempted a redistribution of the wealth by demanding the Court’s wallet" and "left a lead bullet in the Court’s abdomen."