D.C. Code § 22-2715
The action when brought shall be triable at the first term of court, after due and timely service of the notice has been given, and in such action evidence of the general reputation of the place shall be admissible for the purpose of proving the existence of said nuisance. If the complaint is filed by a citizen, it shall not be dismissed, except upon a sworn statement made by the complainant and the complainant's attorney, setting forth the reasons why the action should be dismissed, and the dismissal approved by the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia or the Attorney General of the United States of America in writing or in open court. If the court is of the opinion that the action ought not to be dismissed, it may direct the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia to prosecute said action to judgment; and if the action is continued more than 1 term of court, any citizen of the District of Columbia, or the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, may be substituted for the complaining party and prosecute said action to judgment. If the action is brought by a citizen, and the court finds there was no reasonable ground or cause for said action, the costs may be taxed to such citizen.
D.C. Code § 22-2715