United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia

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United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
(E.D.Va.)
Seal of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
Appeals to Fourth Circuit
Established February 4, 1819
Judges assigned 11
Chief judge Rebecca Beach Smith
Official site
The Norfolk courthouse for the United States District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
The Richmond courthouse for the United States District Court, Eastern District of Virginia

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (in case citations, E.D. Va.) is one of two United States district courts serving the Commonwealth of Virginia. It has jurisdiction over the Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads, and Richmond metro areas and surrounding locations with courthouses located in Alexandria, Norfolk, Richmond and Newport News (whose judges are shared with Norfolk).

Appeals from the Eastern District of Virginia are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).

History

The United States District Court for the District of Virginia was one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789, 1 Stat. 73, on September 24, 1789.[1][2]

On February 13, 1801, the Judiciary Act of 1801, 2 Stat. 89, divided Virginia into three judicial districts: the District of Virginia, which included the counties west of the Tidewater and south of the Rappahannock River; the District of Norfolk, which included the Tidewater counties south of the Rappahannock; and the District of Potomac, which included the counties north and east of the Rappahannock as well as Maryland counties along the Potomac.[2] Just over a year later, on March 8, 1802, the Judiciary Act of 1801 was repealed and Virginia became a single District again, 2 Stat. 132, effective July 1, 1802.[2]

The District of Virginia was subdivided into Eastern and Western Districts on February 4, 1819, by 3 Stat. 478.[1][2] At that time, West Virginia was still part of Virginia, and was encompassed in Virginia's Western District, while the Eastern District essentially covered what is now the entire state of Virginia. With the division of West Virginia from Virginia during the American Civil War, the Western District of Virginia became the District of West Virginia, and those parts of the Western District that were not part of West Virginia were combined with the Eastern District to again form a single District of Virginia on June 11, 1864, by 13 Stat. 124.[2] Congress again divided Virginia into Eastern and the Western Districts on February 3, 1871, by 16 Stat. 403.[2]

During the 1960s, Judge Albert V. Bryan Jr. ran the Alexandria court, often ruled cases on the spot after motions were argued. The court earned the nickname of "rocket docket" for the speed and efficiency for which it processes its cases. Since 1997, the court has processed civil cases the fastest of the 94 federal districts, and eighth fastest in dealing with criminal cases.[3] Courts at Richmond are located in the Spottswood W. Robinson III and Robert R. Merhige, Jr., Federal Courthouse,[4] having previously been held in the historic Lewis F. Powell, Jr. United States Courthouse.

Jurisdiction

Map of the United States District Courts in Virginia, showing the boundaries of the Eastern and Western Districts, and their divisions.

The Eastern District of Virginia has within its jurisdiction the following counties: Accomack, Amelia, Arlington, Brunswick, Caroline, Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Essex, Fairfax, Fauquier, Gloucester, Goochland, Greensville, Hanover, Henrico, Isle of Wight, James City, King and Queen, King George, King William, Lancaster, Loudoun, Lunenburg, Mathews, Mecklenburg, Middlesex, New Kent, Northampton, Northumberland, Nottoway, Powhatan, Prince Edward, Prince George, Prince William, Richmond, Southampton, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Surry, Sussex, Westmoreland, York County.[5] The district also has jurisdiction over independent municipalities that are geographically located with these counties, but that are not politically part of them.[6]

The Eastern District of Virginia court's jurisdiction covers slightly over six million people, comprising approximately 85% of the state's population.

United States Attorney

The current U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia is Dana J. Boente, serving as prosecution for criminal cases brought by the Federal government, and representing the United States in civil cases in the court. He served in an acting capacity until he was confirmed on December 15, 2015. The U.S. Attorney's office also manages the Project Safe Neighborhoods program within the district to reduce gun violence (part of a nationwide program), and is involved with federal initiatives on drug trafficking, terrorism, cybercrime, and the prevention/combating of elder care abuse.[7] Neil H. MacBride and Chuck Rosenberg previously served as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Judges

Current

# Title Judge Duty station Born Term of service Appointed by
Active Chief Senior
30 Chief Judge Rebecca Beach Smith Norfolk 1949 1989–present 2011–present — G.H.W. Bush
33 District Judge Leonie Brinkema Alexandria 1944 1993–present — — Clinton
34 District Judge Raymond Alvin Jackson Norfolk 1949 1993–present — — Clinton
36 District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee Alexandria 1952 1998–present — — Clinton
37 District Judge Henry E. Hudson Richmond 1947 2002–present — — G.W. Bush
39 District Judge Liam O'Grady Alexandria 1950 2007–present — — G.W. Bush
40 District Judge Mark Steven Davis Norfolk 1962 2008–present — — G.W. Bush
41 District Judge Anthony John Trenga Alexandria 1949 2008–present — — G.W. Bush
42 District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr. Richmond 1951 2010–present — — Obama
43 District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen Norfolk 1960 2011–present — — Obama
44 District Judge M. Hannah Lauck Richmond 1963 2014–present — — Obama
21 Senior Judge Albert Vickers Bryan Jr. inactive 1926 1971–present 1985–1991 1991–present Nixon
25 Senior Judge James C. Cacheris Alexandria 1933 1981–1998 1991–1997 1998–present Reagan
26 Senior Judge Robert G. Doumar Norfolk 1930 1981–1997 — 1997–present Reagan
27 Senior Judge Claude M. Hilton Alexandria 1940 1985–2005 1997–2004 2005–present Reagan
28 Senior Judge James R. Spencer Richmond 1949 1986–2014 2004–2011 2014–present Reagan
29 Senior Judge T. S. Ellis, III Alexandria 1940 1987–2007 — 2007–present Reagan
31 Senior Judge Henry Coke Morgan, Jr. Norfolk 1935 1992–2004 — 2004–present G.H.W. Bush
32 Senior Judge Robert E. Payne Richmond 1941 1992–2007 — 2007–present G.H.W. Bush

Former judges

# Judge State Born/Died Active service Chief Judge Senior status Appointed by Reason for
termination
1 St. George Tucker VA 1752–1827 1813–1825[8] — — Madison resignation
2 George Hay VA 1765–1830 1825–1830[9] — — J.Q. Adams death
3 Philip Pendleton Barbour VA 1783–1841 1830–1836[10] — — Jackson reappointment
4 Peter Vivian Daniel VA 1784–1860 1836–1841 — — Jackson reappointment
5 John Y. Mason VA 1799–1859 1841–1844 — — Van Buren resignation
6 James Dandridge Halyburton VA 1803–1879 1844–1861 — — Tyler resignation
7 John Curtiss Underwood VA 1809–1873 1863–1873[11][12] — — Lincoln death
8 Robert William Hughes VA 1821–1901 1874–1898 — — Grant retirement
9 Edmund Waddill Jr. VA 1855–1931 1898–1921 — — McKinley reappointment
10 Duncan Lawrence Groner VA 1873–1957 1921–1931 — — Harding reappointment
11 Luther B. Way VA 1879–1943 1931–1943 — — Hoover death
12 Robert Nelson Pollard VA 1880–1954 1936–1947 — 1947–1954 F. Roosevelt death
13 Charles Sterling Hutcheson VA 1894–1969 1944–1959 1948–1959 1959–1969 F. Roosevelt death
14 Albert Vickers Bryan VA 1899–1984 1947–1961 1959–1961 — Truman reappointment
15 Walter Edward Hoffman VA 1907–1996 1954–1974 1961–1973 1974–1996 Eisenhower death
16 Oren Ritter Lewis VA 1902–1983 1960–1974 — 1974–1983 Eisenhower death
17 John Decker Butzner Jr. VA 1917–2006 1962–1967 — — Kennedy reappointment
18 Richard Boykin Kellam VA 1909–1996 1967–1981 1973–1979 1981–1996 L. Johnson death
19 John Ashton MacKenzie VA 1917–2010 1967–1985 1979–1985 1985–1998 L. Johnson retirement
20 Robert Reynold Merhige Jr. VA 1919–2005 1967–1986 — 1986–1998 L. Johnson retirement
22 David Dortch Warriner VA 1929–1986 1974–1986 — — Nixon death
23 Joseph Calvitt Clarke Jr. VA 1920–2004 1974–1991 — 1991–2004 Ford death
24 Richard Leroy Williams VA 1923–2011 1980–1992 — 1992–2011 Carter death
35 Jerome B. Friedman VA 1943–present 1997–2010 — 2010–2011 Clinton retirement
38 Walter DeKalb Kelley Jr. VA 1955–present 2004–2008 — — G.W. Bush resignation

Succession of seats

Notable cases

The Eastern District of Virginia has handled many notable cases, including:

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Asbury Dickens, A Synoptical Index to the Laws and Treaties of the United States of America (1852), p. 388.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 U.S. District Courts of Virginia, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 28 U.S.C. § 127(a)
  6. ↑ 28 U.S.C. § 127(c)
  7. ↑ U.S. Attorney's Office - Eastern District of Virginia - Priorities
  8. ↑ Initially appointed to the United States District Court for the District of Virginia, reassigned by operation of law to the Eastern District of Virginia on February 4, 1819.
  9. ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 13, 1825, confirmed by the United States Senate on March 31, 1826, and received commission on March 31, 1826.
  10. ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 14, 1830, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 16, 1830, and received commission on December 16, 1830.
  11. ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 5, 1864, confirmed by the United States Senate on January 25, 1864, and received commission on January 25, 1864.
  12. ↑ Reassigned to the United States District Court for the District of Virginia on June 11, 1964, reassigned to the Eastern District of Virginia on February 3, 1871.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 United States District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, Notable cases
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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