United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia
United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia | |
---|---|
Established | February 4th, 1819 |
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
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well as Maryland counties along the Potomac.[2] Just over a year later, on March 8, 1802, the Judiciary Act of 1801 was repealed and Virginia became a single District again, 2 Stat. 132, effective July 1, 1802.[2]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 form again 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]
Judges, U.S. Attorney, and Jurisdiction
Current judges
# | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
25 | Chief Judge | Glen E. Conrad | Roanoke | 1949 | 2003–present | 2010–present | — | George W. Bush |
22 | District Judge | Samuel Grayson Wilson | Roanoke | 1949 | 1990–present | 1997–2004 | — | G.H.W. Bush |
23 | District Judge | James Parker Jones | Abingdon | 1940 | 1996–present | 2004–2010 | — | Bill Clinton |
26 | District Judge | Michael F. Urbanski | Roanoke | 1956 | 2011–present | — | — | Barack Obama |
18 | Senior District Judge | James Clinton Turk | Roanoke | 1923 | 1972–present | 1973–1993 | 2002–present | Richard Nixon |
21 | Senior District Judge | Jackson L. Kiser | Danville | 1929 | 1981–present | 1993–1997 | 1997–present | Ronald Reagan |
24 | Senior District Judge | Norman K. Moon | Lynchburg | 1936 | 1997–present | — | 2010–present | Bill Clinton |
Former judges
# | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | John G. Jackson | VA | 1777–1825 | 1819–1825 | — | — | Monroe | death |
2 | Philip C. Pendleton | VA | 1779–1863 | 1825–1825[3] | — | — | J.Q. Adams | resignation |
3 | Alexander Caldwell | VA | 1774–1839 | 1825–1839[4] | — | — | J.Q. Adams | death |
4 | Isaac S. Pennybacker | VA | 1805–1847 | 1839–1845[5] | — | — | Van Buren | death |
5 | John White Brockenbrough | VA | 1806–1877 | 1846–1861 | — | — | Polk | resignation |
6 | John Jay Jackson Jr. | VA | 1824–1907 | 1861–1864 | — | — | Lincoln | reassignment |
7 | Alexander Rives | VA | 1806–1885 | 1871–1882 | — | — | Grant | retirement |
8 | John Paul | VA | 1839–1901 | 1883–1901 | — | — | Arthur | death |
9 | Henry C. McDowell, Jr. | VA | 1861–1933 | 1901–1931[6] | — | 1931–1933 | T. Roosevelt | death |
10 | John Paul | VA | 1883–1964 | 1932–1958 | 1948–1958 | 1958–1964 | Hoover | death |
11 | Floyd H. Roberts | VA | 1879–1967 | 1938–1939[7] | — | — | F. Roosevelt | not confirmed |
12 | Armistead Mason Dobie | VA | 1881–1962 | 1939–1940 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | reappointment |
13 | Alfred D. Barksdale | VA | 1892–1972 | 1939–1957[8] | — | 1957–1972 | F. Roosevelt | death |
14 | Roby C. Thompson | VA | 1898–1960 | 1957–1960 | 1958–1960 | — | Eisenhower | death |
15 | Theodore Roosevelt Dalton | VA | 1901–1989 | 1959–1976 | 1960–1971 | 1976–1989 | Eisenhower | death |
16 | Thomas J. Michie | VA | 1896–1973 | 1961–1973 | — | — | Kennedy | death |
17 | Hiram Emory Widener Jr. | VA | 1923–2007 | 1969–1972 | 1971–1972 | — | Nixon | reappointment |
19 | Glen Morgan Williams | VA | 1920–2012 | 1976–1988 | — | 1988–2012 | Ford | death |
20 | James Harry Michael Jr. | VA | 1918–2005 | 1980–1995 | — | 1995–2005 | Carter | death |
Succession of seats
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
U.S. Attorney, U.S. Marshal and counties of jurisdiction
The U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia represents the federal government in the court. The current[update] United States Attorney is Tim Heaphy.[9] The last, John L. Brownlee, resigned in May 2008 to run for the Republican Party nomination for Attorney General of Virginia.[10]
The current[update] U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Virginia is Wayne Pike.
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.
See also
References
- ^ a b Asbury Dickens, A Synoptical Index to the Laws and Treaties of the United States of America (1852), p. 388.
- ^ a b c d e f U.S. District Courts of Virginia, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ Recess appointment; the United States Senate later rejected the appointment.
- ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 13, 1825, confirmed by the United States Senate on January 3, 1826, and received commission on January 3, 1826.
- ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 29, 1840, confirmed by the United States Senate on February 17, 1840, and received commission on February 17, 1840.
- ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 5, 1901, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 18, 1901, and received commission on December 18, 1901.
- ^ Recess appointment; the United States Senate later rejected the appointment.
- ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 11, 1940, confirmed by the United States Senate on February 1, 1940, and received commission on February 5, 1940.
- ^ http://www.justice.gov/usao/vaw/us_attorney/index.html
- ^ "Former U.S. Attorney John Brownlee Announces Campaign for Attorney General". John Brownlee for Attorney General. Retrieved 2008-12-06.