The United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia (in case citations, W.D. Va.) is a United States district court.
Appeals from the Western 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).
The court is seated at multiple locations in Virginia: Abingdon, Big Stone Gap, Charlottesville, Danville, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg and Roanoke.
History
New York's Southern District Court Celebrates its 225th Anniversary - Judges and court staff in Manhattan gathered to celebrate the 225th anniversary of the Southern District of New York. The district is commonly referred to as the "Mother Court" because it was...
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.
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. Just over a year later, on March 8, 1802, the Judiciary Act of 1801 was repealed and Virginia became a single District again, 2 Stat. 132, effective July 1, 1802.
The District of Virginia was subdivided into Eastern and Western Districts on February 4, 1819, by 3 Stat. 478. 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 form again a single District of Virginia on June 11, 1864, by 13 Stat. 124. Congress again divided Virginia into Eastern and the Western Districts on February 3, 1871, by 16 Stat. 403.
Current judges
Vacancies and pending nominations
U.S. Attorney and U.S. Marshal
The U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia represents the federal government in the court. The current Acting United States Attorney is Rick A. Mountcastle.
The current U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Virginia is Wayne Pike.
Former U.S. Attorneys
- Thomas B. Mason (1961â€"1969)
- Leigh B. Hanes (1969-1976)
- Paul R. Thomson Jr.(1976-1980)
- John S. Edwards (1980â€"1981)
- John P. Alderman (1981â€"1990)
- E. Montgomery Tucker (1990â€"1993)
- Robert P. Crouch, Jr. (1993â€"2001)
- John L. Brownlee (2001â€"2008)
- Timothy J. Heaphy (2009â€"2015)
- John P. Fishwick, Jr. (2015â€"2017)
Counties of jurisdiction
The Western District of Virginia covers the counties of Albemarle, Alleghany, Amherst, Appomattox, Augusta, Bath, Bedford, Bland, Botetourt, Buchanan, Buckingham, Campbell, Carroll, Charlotte, Clarke, Craig, Culpeper, Cumberland, Dickenson, Floyd, Fluvanna, Franklin, Frederick, Giles, Grayson, Greene, Halifax, Henry, Highland, Lee, Louisa, Madison, Montgomery, Nelson, Orange, Page, Patrick, Pittsylvania, Pulaski, Rappahannock, Roanoke, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Russell, Scott, Shenandoah, Smyth, Tazewell, Warren, Washington, Wise, and Wythe; and the independent cities of Bedford, Bristol, Buena Vista, Charlottesville, Covington, Danville, Galax, Harrisonburg, Lexington, Lynchburg, Martinsville, Norton, Radford, Roanoke, Salem, Staunton, Waynesboro, and Winchester.
Former judges
Chief judges
Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court, and preside over any panel on which they serve unless circuit judges are also on the panel. 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 as senior 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.
Succession of seats
See also
- Courts of Virginia
- List of United States federal courthouses in Virginia
References
External links
- United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia Official Website
- United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia Official Website
- Federal Judicial Center Website - Judges of the W.D. Va.
- History of Marshals for the Western District of Virginia