United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia

The United States District Court for the District of Virginia was one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789, , on September 24, 1789. On February 13, 1801, the Judiciary Act of 1801, , 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. having previously been held in the historic Lewis F. Powell Jr. United States Courthouse. Most recent acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsey Halligan was disqualified on November 24, 2025 after being deemed to have been unlawfully appointed in order to prosecute former FBI director James Comey and Attorney General of New York Letitia James, two people who previously led legal cases against U.S. President Trump. The Rocket Docket 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, and Walter E. Hoffman, who was known for scheduling trials for weekends, holidays and reportedly once on Christmas Day. 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. == Jurisdiction ==

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: Alexandria Division The Alexandria Division covers the counties of suburban Washington, D.C.: Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, and Stafford, and includes the independent cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Manassas, Manassas Park, and Falls Church. Richmond Division The Richmond Division comprises the counties of Amelia, 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, and Westmoreland, as well as independent cities such as Colonial Heights and Fredericksburg. Norfolk Division Norfolk Division includes the counties of Accomack, Northampton, Isle of Wight, Southampton, and independent cities such as Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach. Newport News Division The Newport News Division includes the counties of Gloucester, Mathews, York County, James City and cities such as Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, and Williamsburg. == United States Attorney ==

The U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia serves 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 the Project Safe Neighborhoods program within the district to reduce gun violence, and is involved with federal initiatives on drug trafficking, terrorism, cybercrime, and the prevention of elder care abuse. == Current judges ==

The Eastern District of Virginia has handled many notable cases, including: • West v. Bliley, striking down Virginia's white primary, 33 F.2d 177 (E.D. Va., 1929) • United States v. Zacarias Moussaoui, No. 01-455-A (E.D. Va.) • United States v. Ahmed Omar Abu Ali • United States v. John Walker Lindh, charged with committing mass murder in Brno, Czech Republic in 2013 • Bostic v. Rainey • Matter of Baby K, controversial ruling to provide life-sustaining care to an anencephalic newborn. • United States v. Paul J. Manafort Jr. • Chelsea Manning's contempt of court case • United States v Daniel Hale • United States v Javaid Perwaiz • United States v. Randall Todd Royer, Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Hamdi, Masoud Ahmad Khan, Yong Ki Kwon, Mohammed Aatique, Seifullah Chapman, Donald Thomas Surratt, Caliph Basha Ibn Abdur-Raheem, Khwaja Mahmood Hasan, and Sabri Benkhala (E.D. Va., 2004) • Cable News Network L.P. v. CNNews.com, 162 F.Supp.2d 484 (E.D. Va., 2001) • Petition of Nemetz == United States Attorneys ==

List of U.S. Attorneys since 1831: • Thomas E. Burfoot (1831–1833) • Robert C. Nicholas (1833–1850) • William T. Joynes (1850–1853) • John Munford Gregory (1853–1860) • Patrick H. Aylett (1860–1861) • A. Judson Crane (1861–1863) • Lucius H. Chandler (1863–1870) • Henry H. Wells (1870–1874) • Lunsford L. Lewis (1874–1882) • John Sergeant Wise (1882–1883) • Edmund Waddill Jr. (1883–1885) • John C. Gibson (1885–1889) • Thomas R. Borland (1889–1893) • Francis R. Lassiter (1893–1896) • William H. White (1896–1898) • Edgar Allan (1898–1902) • Lunsford L. Lewis (1902–1905) • Robert H. Talley (1905) • Lunsford L. Lewis (1905–1912) • Duncan Lawrence Groner (1912–1914) • Richard H. Mann (1914–1919) • Hiram M. Smith (1914–1920) • Duncan Lawrence Groner (1920) • Julien Gunn (1920–1921) • Duncan Lawrence Groner (1921) • Paul W. Kear (1921–1931) • Robert H. Talley (1931–1932) • Paul W. Kear (1932–1933) • Charles Sterling Hutcheson (1933–1944) • Henry Holt (1944–1947) • George R. Humrickhouse (1947–1951) • A. Carter Whitehead (1951–1953) • Lester S. Parsons, Jr. (1953–1957) • John M. Hollis (1957–1959) • Joseph S. Bambacus (1959–1961) • Claude V. Spratley, Jr. (1961–1969) • Brian P. Gettings (1969–1974) • David H. Hopkins (1974–1975) • William B. Cummings (1975–1979) • Justin W. Williams (1979–1981) • Elsie L. Munsell (1981–1986) • Justin W. Williams (1986) • Henry E. Hudson (1986–1991) • Kenneth E. Melson (1991) • Richard Cullen (1991–1993) • Kenneth E. Melson (1993) • Helen F. Fahey (1993–2001) • Kenneth E. Melson (2001) • Paul McNulty (2001–2006) • Chuck Rosenberg (2006–2008) • Dana Boente (2008–2009) • Neil MacBride (2009–2013) • Dana Boente (2013–2018) • Tracy Doherty-McCormick (2018) • G. Zachary Terwilliger (2018–2021) • Raj Parekh (2021) • Jessica Aber (2021–2025) • Erik Siebert (2025) • Lindsey Halligan (2025–2026) • James Hundley (Feb 20, 2026—Slightly later on Feb 20, 2026) == See also ==