Prosecutions for local crimes go through the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, while federal cases land in U.S. District Court. The courtroom where defendants are arraigned has on some days been working past 1 a.m., which attorneys say is almost unheard of. Defense attorneys say that shift is striking since the deficiencies that previously led the U.S. Attorney’s Office to weed out certain cases have not suddenly stopped occurring. Federal casesAt least 35 cases were filed and unsealed in federal court over the first two weeks of the takeover. Now, D.C. is unique in that the U.S. attorney’s office here prosecutes both local and federal cases.