A U.S. district court / Established 1790

U.S. District Court for the District of Virginia

Virginia · A federal trial court, where federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. Appeals go to the Fourth Circuit.

U.S. District Court for the District of Virginia is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the Fourth Circuit, which reviews its decisions on appeal. This page lists every judge to serve on the court, current and former, with who appointed them and whom they succeeded.

4
Judges in history
0
Currently serving
2
Seats over time
0 / 0
Appointed D / R
Current judges

No currently serving judges on record.

Former judges
JudgeAppointed byYears
John Curtiss Underwood(reassignment) (N)1864–1871
St. George TuckerMadison (N)1813–1819
John TylerMadison (N)1811–1813
Cyrus GriffinWashington ()1790–1810

How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1790.

Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Verify against the primary source before relying.