| United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia | |
|---|---|
| (E.D. Va.) | |
 | |
| Location | Albert V. Bryan U.S. Courthouse More locations |
| Appeals to | Fourth Circuit |
| Established | September 24, 1789 |
| Judges | 11 |
| Chief Judge | Mark Steven Davis |
| Officers of the court | |
| U.S. Attorney | Lindsey Halligan(interim) |
| U.S. Marshal | Nick Edward Proffitt |
| www | |
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TheUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA; incase citations,E.D. Va.) is one of twoUnited States district courts serving theCommonwealth of Virginia. Its jurisdiction includes over 85 percent of the state's population, including the metropolitan areas ofNorthern Virginia,Hampton Roads, andRichmond. Courthouses are located inAlexandria,Norfolk,Richmond, andNewport News.
Known widely as "the rocket docket", the Eastern District of Virginia has been the fastest federal trial court in the country for over 50 years.[1][2] Adopting the maxim that "justice delayed is justice denied" as its unofficial motto, the court aims to complete cases within one year, regardless of complexity. It schedules trials on weekends and holidays and maintains a virtual ban oncontinuance.[3][4][5] The court utilizes a unique "master docket" to expedite cases: rather than assign individual caseloads, when amotion is up for consideration or a trial is scheduled to start, the matter will be handled by whichever judge is available. Judges are assigned only forpatent cases and in rare exceptions.[6]
With a jurisdiction which includes thePentagon, much of theIntelligence Community, andNaval Station Norfolk, the world's largest naval base, the EDVA is a fixture inU.S. national security law, handling a large portion of the nation's espionage and terrorism cases. More than 1 in 5 terrorism charges filed in the United States since 1995 were filed in the EDVA.[7][8][9] One of the district'ssenior judges alsopresides over theU.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia wields one of the largest federal prosecutor offices in the country, staffed by over 300 attorneys and support staff.[7]
Appeals from the Eastern District of Virginia are taken to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, except forpatent claims and claims against the U.S. government under theTucker Act, which are appealed to theFederal Circuit.
TheUnited States District Court for the District of Virginia was one of the original 13 courts established by theJudiciary Act of 1789, 1 Stat. 73, on September 24, 1789.[10][11]
On February 13, 1801, theJudiciary Act of 1801, 2 Stat. 89, divided Virginia into three judicial districts: the District of Virginia, which included the counties west of theTidewater and south of theRappahannock River; theDistrict of Norfolk, which included the Tidewater counties south of the Rappahannock; and theDistrict of Potomac, which included the counties north and east of the Rappahannock as well asMaryland counties along thePotomac.[11] 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.[11]
The District of Virginia was subdivided into Eastern andWestern Districts on February 4, 1819, by 3 Stat. 478.[10][11] 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 theAmerican 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.[11] Congress again divided Virginia into the Eastern and Western Districts on February 3, 1871, by 16 Stat. 403.[11]
Courts at Richmond are located in theSpottswood W. Robinson III andRobert R. Merhige Jr. Federal Courthouse,[12] having previously been held in the historicLewis F. Powell Jr. United States Courthouse.
The Eastern District of Virginia is the originator of the term "rocket docket", which has since been applied to various other courts at times. The culture of speed was embedded in the EDVA by two judges who served on the court in the 1960's:Albert V. Bryan Jr., who often ruled on cases on the spot after motions were argued, andWalter E. Hoffman, who was known for scheduling trials for weekends, holidays and reportedly once on Christmas Day.[4] Current chief judge Mark S. Davis has said that the current bench is driven in part by a shared belief in the maxim that "justice delayed is justice denied", but that the "expectations of the [EDVA] bar" nevertheless ensure that the court continues to maintain its famed pace.[4]
The Eastern District of Virginia court's jurisdiction covers slightly over six million people, comprising approximately 85% of the state's population. Its jurisdiction is grouped into four geographic divisions:
The Alexandria Division covers thecounties of suburbanWashington, D.C.:Arlington,Fairfax,Fauquier,Loudoun,Prince William, andStafford, and includes the independent cities ofAlexandria,Fairfax,Manassas,Manassas Park, andFalls Church.
The Richmond Division comprises the counties ofAmelia,Brunswick,Caroline,Charles City,Chesterfield,Dinwiddie,Essex,Goochland,Greensville,Hanover,Henrico,James City,King and Queen,King George,King William,Lancaster,Lunenburg,Mecklenburg,Middlesex,New Kent,Northumberland,Nottoway,Powhatan,Prince Edward,Prince George,Richmond,Spotsylvania,Surry,Sussex, andWestmoreland, as well as independent cities such asColonial Heights andFredericksburg.[13]
Norfolk Division includes the counties ofAccomack,Northampton,Isle of Wight,Southampton, and independent cities such asChesapeake,Norfolk,Portsmouth,Suffolk, andVirginia Beach.
The Newport News Division includes the counties ofGloucester,Mathews,York County,James City and cities such asHampton, Newport News,Poquoson, andWilliamsburg.
TheU.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia wasErik S. Siebert,[14] serving as prosecution for criminal cases brought by the federal government, and representing the United States in civil cases in the court. The U.S. Attorney's office also manages theProject Safe Neighborhoods program within the district to reducegun violence, and is involved with federal initiatives ondrug trafficking,terrorism,cybercrime, and the prevention ofelder care abuse.[15]
As of July 30, 2025[update]:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
| 40 | Chief Judge | Mark Steven Davis | Norfolk Newport News | 1962 | 2008–present | 2018–present | — | G.W. Bush |
| 33 | District Judge | Leonie Brinkema | Alexandria | 1944 | 1993–present | — | — | Clinton |
| 43 | District Judge | Arenda Wright Allen | Norfolk Newport News | 1960 | 2011–present | — | — | Obama |
| 44 | District Judge | M. Hannah Lauck | Richmond | 1963 | 2014–present | — | — | Obama |
| 45 | District Judge | Rossie D. Alston Jr. | Alexandria | 1957 | 2019–present | — | — | Trump |
| 46 | District Judge | David J. Novak | Richmond | 1961 | 2019–present | — | — | Trump |
| 47 | District Judge | Roderick C. Young | Richmond | 1966 | 2020–present | — | — | Trump |
| 48 | District Judge | Patricia Tolliver Giles | Alexandria | 1973 | 2021–present | — | — | Biden |
| 49 | District Judge | Michael S. Nachmanoff | Alexandria | 1968 | 2021–present | — | — | Biden |
| 50 | District Judge | Elizabeth Hanes | Norfolk Newport News | 1978 | 2022–present | — | — | Biden |
| 51 | District Judge | Jamar K. Walker | Norfolk Newport News | 1986 | 2023–present | — | — | Biden |
| 27 | Senior Judge | Claude M. Hilton | Alexandria | 1940 | 1985–2005 | 1997–2004 | 2005–present | Reagan |
| 30 | Senior Judge | Rebecca Beach Smith | Norfolk Newport News | 1949 | 1989–2019 | 2011–2018 | 2019–present | G.H.W. Bush |
| 32 | Senior Judge | Robert E. Payne | Richmond | 1941 | 1992–2007 | — | 2007–present | G.H.W. Bush |
| 34 | Senior Judge | Raymond Alvin Jackson | Norfolk Newport News | 1949 | 1993–2021 | — | 2021–present | Clinton |
| 37 | Senior Judge | Henry E. Hudson | Richmond | 1947 | 2002–2018 | — | 2018–present | G.W. Bush |
| 41 | Senior Judge | Anthony Trenga | Alexandria | 1949 | 2008–2021 | — | 2021–present | G.W. Bush |
| 42 | Senior Judge | John A. Gibney Jr. | Richmond | 1951 | 2010–2021 | — | 2021–present | Obama |
| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. George Tucker | VA | 1752–1827 | 1813–1825[Note 1] | — | — | Madison | resignation |
| 2 | George Hay | VA | 1765–1830 | 1825–1830[Note 2] | — | — | J.Q. Adams | death |
| 3 | Philip P. Barbour | VA | 1783–1841 | 1830–1836[Note 3] | — | — | Jackson | elevation toSupreme Court |
| 4 | Peter Vivian Daniel | VA | 1784–1860 | 1836–1841 | — | — | Jackson | elevation toSupreme Court |
| 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 | 1863–1864[Note 4] 1871–1873[Note 5] | — | — | Lincoln Operation of law | reassignment toD. Va. death |
| 8 | Robert William Hughes | VA | 1821–1901 | 1874–1898 | — | — | Grant | retirement |
| 9 | Edmund Waddill Jr. | VA | 1855–1931 | 1898–1921 | — | — | McKinley | elevation to4th Cir. |
| 10 | Duncan Lawrence Groner | VA | 1873–1957 | 1921–1931 | — | — | Harding | elevation toD.C. Cir. |
| 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 | elevation to4th Cir. |
| 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 D. Butzner Jr. | VA | 1917–2006 | 1962–1967 | — | — | Kennedy | elevation to4th Cir. |
| 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 R. Merhige Jr. | VA | 1919–2005 | 1967–1986 | — | 1986–1998 | L. Johnson | retirement |
| 21 | Albert Vickers Bryan Jr. | VA | 1926–2019 | 1971–1991 | 1985–1991 | 1991–2019 | Nixon | death |
| 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 |
| 25 | James C. Cacheris | VA | 1933–2025 | 1981–1998 | 1991–1997 | 1998–2018 | Reagan | retirement |
| 26 | Robert G. Doumar | VA | 1930–2023 | 1981–1996 | — | 1996–2023 | Reagan | death |
| 28 | James R. Spencer | VA | 1949–present | 1986–2014 | 2004–2011 | 2014–2017 | Reagan | retirement |
| 29 | T. S. Ellis III | VA | 1940–2025 | 1987–2007 | — | 2007–2025 | Reagan | death |
| 31 | Henry Coke Morgan Jr. | VA | 1935–2022 | 1992–2004 | — | 2004–2022 | G.H.W. Bush | death |
| 35 | Jerome B. Friedman | VA | 1943–present | 1997–2010 | — | 2010–2011 | Clinton | retirement |
| 36 | Gerald Bruce Lee | VA | 1952–present | 1998–2017 | — | — | Clinton | retirement |
| 38 | Walter D. Kelley Jr. | VA | 1955–present | 2004–2008 | — | — | G.W. Bush | resignation |
| 39 | Liam O'Grady | VA | 1950–present | 2007–2020 | — | 2020–2023 | G.W. Bush | retirement |
Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge.
A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.
When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known assenior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.
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The Eastern District of Virginia has handled many notable cases, including:
List of U.S. Attorneys since 1831:[20][21]
The court routinely denies all continuances of any kind, and lawyers cannot expect extensions unless they are dead or have a medical certificate that assures death within a few days
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