United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia

4th Circuit Alexandria, Virginia

About This Court

Located in the Fourth Circuit, the Eastern District of Virginia covers the eastern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia, including the cities of Alexandria, Richmond, Norfolk, and Newport News, as well as numerous surrounding counties. The district encompasses several major population and commercial centers, including the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area suburbs in northern Virginia and the Hampton Roads region along the Atlantic coast.

The Eastern District of Virginia is widely known among practitioners as the 'Rocket Docket' due to its reputation for swift case management and rapid movement from filing to trial. The court's scheduling practices result in some of the shortest times to trial of any federal district court in the country, which makes it a strategically significant venue for litigants seeking or opposing expeditious resolution.

The district handles a broad range of civil and criminal matters, including significant volumes of intellectual property litigation, government contracts disputes, and national security cases, in part because of its proximity to federal agencies and defense contractors in northern Virginia. The Richmond and Norfolk divisions also handle substantial civil dockets reflecting the commercial and maritime activity in those regions.

Proceedings are governed by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, and Federal Rules of Evidence, along with the court's local rules. Bankruptcy cases are handled by the companion Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Virginia.

Divisions

Alexandria Division (Alexandria), Richmond Division (Richmond), Norfolk Division (Norfolk), Newport News Division (Newport News)

Caseload

The Eastern District of Virginia is known for a high-volume, fast-moving docket that includes significant intellectual property, government contracts, and national security matters, particularly in the Alexandria Division. The Norfolk Division handles a notable share of maritime and military-related litigation given the presence of Naval Station Norfolk.

Bar Admission

Attorneys must be admitted to practice before the Eastern District of Virginia, which generally requires active membership in good standing with the Virginia State Bar or admission to practice in another state combined with association with a locally admitted attorney, along with completion of the court's admission requirements. Applicants should consult the court's local rules and the clerk's office for current admission procedures.

Clerk's Office

401 Courthouse Square, Alexandria, VA 22314

(703) 299-2100

Active Judges 18

Name	Appointed By	Confirmed	Law School
Arenda Allen	Barack Obama	2011	North Carolina Central University School of Law
Rossie Alston	Donald J. Trump	2019	North Carolina Central University School of Law
Leonie Brinkema	William J. Clinton	1993	Cornell Law School
Mark Davis	George W. Bush	2008	Washington and Lee University School of Law
John Gibney	Barack Obama	2010	University of Virginia School of Law
Patricia Giles	Joseph R. Biden	2021	University of Virginia School of Law
Elizabeth Hanes	Joseph R. Biden	2022	University of Richmond T.C. Williams School of Law (now University of Richmond School of Law)
Claude Hilton	Ronald Reagan	1985	American University, Washington College of Law
Henry Hudson	George W. Bush	2002	American University, Washington College of Law
Raymond Jackson	William J. Clinton	1993	University of Virginia School of Law
M[ary] Lauck	Barack Obama	2014	Yale Law School
Michael Nachmanoff	Joseph R. Biden	2021	University of Virginia School of Law
David Novak	Donald J. Trump	2019	Villanova University School of Law
Robert Payne	George H.W. Bush	1992	Washington and Lee University School of Law
Rebecca Smith	George H.W. Bush	1989	William and Mary Law School
Anthony Trenga	George W. Bush	2008	University of Virginia School of Law
Jamar Walker	Joseph R. Biden	2023	University of Virginia School of Law
Roderick Young	Donald J. Trump	2020	West Virginia University College of Law

Local Rules

69 local rules extracted from this court's published rules. See the court's official website for the authoritative text.

Civil Rules 27

Rule	Title
Local Civil Rule 1	SCOPE OF RULES
Local Civil Rule 16	PRETRIAL CONFERENCE
Local Civil Rule 26	DISCOVERY AND DISCLOSURE
Local Civil Rule 3	AREA AND DIVISIONS
Local Civil Rule 30	DEPOSITIONS – EXPENSES – SUMMARIES – REVIEWING DEPOSITIONS
Local Civil Rule 37	MOTIONS TO COMPEL AND SANCTIONS
Local Civil Rule 38	DEMAND FOR JURY TRIAL
Local Civil Rule 4	SERVICE AND RETURN OF SUMMONS – ABATEMENT
Local Civil Rule 45	SUBPOENAS
Local Civil Rule 47	JURORS
Local Civil Rule 5	REQUESTS TO FILE DOCUMENTS UNDER SEAL AND THE HANDLING OF DOCUMENTS UNDER SEAL
Local Civil Rule 51	PROPOSED JURY INSTRUCTIONS AND VOIR DIRE
Local Civil Rule 54	COSTS – NOTICE OF APPEAL – JURY COSTS
Local Civil Rule 56	SUMMARY JUDGMENT
Local Civil Rule 62	APPEAL BOND – EXEMPTION FROM
Local Civil Rule 65	SURETIES – SECURITY – BONDSMAN
Local Civil Rule 67	DEPOSIT, WITHDRAWAL AND INVESTMENT OF FUNDS IN THE COURT REGISTRY INVESTMENT SYSTEM
Local Civil Rule 7	PLEADINGS – MOTIONS – CONTINUANCES – ORDERS
Local Civil Rule 7.1	DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
Local Civil Rule 71A	LAND CONDEMNATION ACTIONS
Local Civil Rule 72	UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGES – DUTIES
Local Civil Rule 79	EXHIBITS
Local Civil Rule 80	TRANSCRIPTS – RECORD ON APPEAL
Local Civil Rule 83.2	SALES AND DISTRIBUTION OF PROCEEDS OF SALES
Local Civil Rule 83.3	PHOTOGRAPHING, RECORDING, BROADCASTING, OR TRANSMITTING IN THE COURTHOUSE
Local Civil Rule 83.4	HABEAS CORPUS AND PROCEEDINGS IN FORMA PAUPERIS
Local Civil Rule 83.6	SETTLEMENT AND ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Criminal Rules 20

Rule	Title
Local Criminal Rule 1	SCOPE OF RULES
Local Criminal Rule 12	CRIMINAL CASES – MOTIONS
Local Criminal Rule 12.4	FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
Local Criminal Rule 17	SUBPOENAS
Local Criminal Rule 18	AREA AND DIVISIONS
Local Criminal Rule 24	TRIAL JURORS
Local Criminal Rule 30	PROPOSED JURY INSTRUCTIONS AND VOIR DIRE
Local Criminal Rule 32	NONDISCLOSURE OF PROBATION OFFICER'S SENTENCING RECOMMENDATION
Local Criminal Rule 32.2	SALES AND DISTRIBUTION OF PROCEEDS OF SALES
Local Criminal Rule 46	SURETIES – SECURITY – BONDSMAN
Local Criminal Rule 47	PLEADINGS – MOTIONS – CONTINUANCES – ORDERS
Local Criminal Rule 49	DESIGNATION AND HANDLING OF DOCUMENTS UNDER SEAL
Local Criminal Rule 5	UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGES – DUTIES
Local Criminal Rule 53	PHOTOGRAPHING, RECORDING, BROADCASTING, OR TRANSMITTING IN THE COURTHOUSE
Local Criminal Rule 55	EXHIBITS
Local Criminal Rule 57.1	FREE PRESS – FAIR TRIAL DIRECTIVES
Local Criminal Rule 57.2	PAYMENT OF FEES
Local Criminal Rule 57.3	OFFICIAL COURT REPORTERS TRANSCRIPTS – HEARING ON TRANSCRIPTS – RECORD ON APPEAL
Local Criminal Rule 58	COLLATERAL PAYMENTS
Local Criminal Rule 6	GRAND JURY

General Rules 6

Rule	Title
Local Admiralty Rule (a)	AUTHORITY AND SCOPE
Local Admiralty Rule (b)	IN PERSONAM ACTIONS: ATTACHMENT AND GARNISHMENT
Local Admiralty Rule (c)	ACTIONS IN REM: SPECIAL PROVISIONS
Local Admiralty Rule (d)	POSSESSORY, PETITORY AND PARTITION ACTIONS
Local Admiralty Rule (e)	ACTIONS IN REM AND QUASI IN REM: GENERAL PROVISIONS
Local Admiralty Rule (f)	LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

Attorney Rules 15

Rule	Title
FRDE Rule I	ATTORNEYS CONVICTED OF CRIMES
FRDE Rule II	DISCIPLINE IMPOSED BY OTHER COURTS
FRDE Rule III	DISBARMENT ON CONSENT OR RESIGNATION IN OTHER COURTS
FRDE Rule IV	STANDARDS OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT
FRDE Rule IX	SERVICE OF PAPERS AND OTHER NOTICES
FRDE Rule V	DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDINGS
FRDE Rule VI	DISBARMENT ON CONSENT WHILE UNDER DISCIPLINARY INVESTIGATION OR PROSECUTION
FRDE Rule VII	REINSTATEMENT
FRDE Rule VIII	ATTORNEYS SPECIALLY ADMITTED
FRDE Rule X	APPOINTMENT OF COUNSEL
FRDE Rule XI	DUTIES OF THE CLERK
FRDE Rule XII	JURISDICTION
FRDE Rule XIII	EFFECTIVE DATE
Local Civil Rule 83.1	ATTORNEYS AND PRO SE PARTIES
Local Criminal Rule 57.4	ATTORNEYS AND PRO SE PARTIES

Patent Rules 1

Rule	Title
Local Civil Rule 83.5	REVIEW OF ORDERS AS TO ADMISSION, SUSPENSION, OR EXCLUSION OF PRACTITIONERS BEFORE THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE

View all local rules →

Other Courts in the 4th Circuit

District of Maryland Baltimore, Maryland District of South Carolina Columbia, South Carolina Eastern District of North Carolina Raleigh, North Carolina Middle District of North Carolina Greensboro, North Carolina Northern District of West Virginia Clarksburg, West Virginia Southern District of West Virginia Charleston, West Virginia Western District of North Carolina Charlotte, North Carolina Western District of Virginia Roanoke, Virginia