Roderick Young

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Roderick Charles Young
Image of Roderick Charles Young

Nonpartisan

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
Tenure

2020 - Present

Years in position

4

Prior offices
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia

Education

Bachelor's

George Mason University, 1989

Graduate

George Mason University, 1994

Law

West Virginia University College of Law, 1994

Personal
Birthplace
Petersburg, Va.

Roderick C. Young is an Article III judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. He was nominated by President Donald Trump (R) on May 21, 2020, and confirmed by a 93-2 vote of the U.S. Senate on September 24, 2020.[1] To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.

Young was a federal magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia from 2014 to 2020.

Judicial nominations and appointments

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (Article III, 2020-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

On May 21, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Young to be an Article III judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. He was confirmed by a 93-2 vote of the U.S. Senate on September 24, 2020.[1] Young received commission on September 29, 2020.[2] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Nomination Tracker
Fedbadgesmall.png
Nominee Information
Name: Roderick C. Young
Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
Progress
Confirmed 126 days after nomination.
ApprovedANominated: May 21, 2020
ApprovedAABA Rating: Unanimously well qualified
Questionnaire: Questionnaire
ApprovedAHearing: June 24, 2020
QFRs: QFRs (Hover over QFRs to read more)
ApprovedAReported: July 30, 2020 
ApprovedAConfirmed: September 24, 2020
ApprovedAVote: 93-2

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Young by a vote of 93-2 on September 24, 2020.[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Young confirmation vote (September 24, 2020)
Party Yea Nay No vote
Electiondot.png Democratic 42 2 1
Ends.png Republican 50 0 3
Grey.png Independent 1 0 1
Total 93 2 5
Change in Senate rules
See also:
Filibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress
Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
United States federal courts"

Young was confirmed to a U.S. District Court under a new precedent the Senate established.

On April 3, 2019, the U.S. Senate voted 51-48 in favor of a change to chamber precedent lowering the maximum time allowed for debate on executive nominees to posts below the Cabinet level and on nominees to district court judgeships from 30 hours after invoking cloture to two.[3]

The change was passed under a procedure, often referred to as the nuclear option, that requires 51 votes rather than 60.[4]

It was the third use of the nuclear option in Senate history. In 2013, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold to confirm presidential nominees, except those to the Supreme Court. In 2017, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold required to confirm Supreme Court nominees.[5] For more, see Filibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress.


Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

Young had his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 24, 2020.[6] The committee reported Young's nomination to the full U.S. Senate on July 30, 2020, after a 22-0 vote.[7]

Nomination

On May 6, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Young to be an Article III judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.[8] The president officially submitted the nomination on May 21.[1]

Young was nominated to replace Judge Rebecca Beach Smith, who assumed senior status on August 1, 2019.[9]

Young was recommended by Virginia Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, both Democrats. The senators wrote in a letter to the president that Young "has drafted over 300 Report and Recommendations and presided over close to 300 settlement conferences" in his role as a federal magistrate judge. They also wrote, "Recommendations from various Bar Associations and their individual members within the Commonwealth reflect that practitioners would respect his rulings and that litigants would have reassurance of receiving a fair trial."[9]

The American Bar Association unanimously rated Young well qualified for the position.[10] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (magistrate, 2014-2020)

Young became a federal magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on October 28, 2014.[11] Magistrate judges serve for renewable terms of eight years. Young left office after he was confirmed to an Article III seat on the same court on September 24, 2020.[1]

Early life and education

Young was born in 1966 in Petersburg, Virginia. He earned his B.A. and M.A. from George Mason University in 1989 and 1994, respectively. He obtained his J.D. from the West Virginia University College of Law in 1994.[12]

Professional career

  • 2014-present: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
  • 2002-2014: U.S. attorney's office in the Eastern District of Virginia
    • 2012-2014: Deputy criminal supervisor
    • 2002-2012: Assistant U.S. attorney
  • 2001-2002: Special assistant U.S. attorney, U.S. attorney's office for the District of Columbia
  • 1998-2002: City of Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney's Office
    • 2000-2002: Senior assistant commonwealth's attorney
    • 1998-2000: Assistant commonwealth's attorney
  • 1996-1998: Assistant public defender, Portsmouth Public Defender’s Office[12]

Awards and associations

Awards

  • 2007: Special recognition award for Operation Crack of Dawn, Drug Enforcement Administration
  • 2006: Special recognition for outstanding performance in prosecuting the Brick Yard Boys, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
  • 2005: Director's award for superior performance, U.S. Department of Justice
  • 2005: Special recognition for excellence in prosecuting the Third Ward Gang, FBI
  • 2005: Special recognition from the National Organization for Black Law Enforcement Officers, Richmond chapter
  • 2000: Special recognition for outstanding performance, Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney's Office[12]

Associations

  • Federal Bar Association, Richmond chapter
  • Old Dominion Bar Association
  • Richmond Bar Association
  • United States Magistrate Judges Association
  • Virginia State Bar[12]

About the court

Eastern District of Virginia
Fourth Circuit
Great seal of the United States.png
Judgeships
Posts: 11
Judges: 11
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief: Mark Davis
Active judges: Arenda L. Wright Allen, Rossie Alston, Leonie Brinkema, Mark Davis, Patricia Tolliver Giles, Elizabeth Hanes, M. Hannah Lauck, Michael Nachmanoff, David J. Novak, Jamar Walker, Roderick Charles Young

Senior judges:
T.S. Ellis III, John A. Gibney, Claude Hilton, Henry Hudson, Raymond Jackson, Liam O'Grady, Robert Payne, Rebecca Beach Smith, Anthony Trenga


The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia is one of 94 United States district courts. It is one of two federal district courts serving the commonwealth of Virginia. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit based in downtown Richmond, Virginia, at the Lewis F. Powell Federal Courthouse.

The Eastern District of Virginia has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

The Eastern District of Virginia court's jurisdiction covers slightly over six million people, comprising approximately 85 percent of the state's population.

There are four court divisions, each covering the following counties and cities:

The Alexandria Division, covering Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William and Stafford counties, in addition to the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park.

The Newport Division, covering Gloucester, James City, Mathews and York counties, in addition to the cities of Newport News, Hampton, Poquoson, and Williamsburg.

The Norfolk Division, covering Accomack, Isle of Wight, Northampton and Southampton counties, in addition to the cities of Cape Charles, Chesapeake, Franklin, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach.

The Richmond Division, covering Amelia, Brunswick, Caroline, Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Essex, Goochland, Greensville, Hanover, Henrico, 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 counties, in addition to the cities of Colonial Heights, Emporia, Fredericksburg, Hopewell, Petersburg, and Richmond.

To read opinions published by this court, click here.

The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

  • The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
  • The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
  • The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.
  • As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.
  • After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.
  • If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
  • If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.
  • The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.
  • If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
  • If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Congress.gov, "PN1922 — Roderick C. Young — The Judiciary," accessed May 22, 2020
  2. ↑ Federal Judicial Center, "Young, Roderick Charles," accessed September 30, 2020
  3. ↑ The Hill, "GOP triggers 'nuclear option' to speed up Trump picks," April 3, 2019
  4. ↑ Axios, "Senate GOP invokes 'nuclear option' to speed up confirmations of Trump nominees," April 3, 2019
  5. ↑ NBC News, "McConnell to use 'nuclear option' to confirm lower-level nominees," April 2, 2019
  6. ↑ Senate Judiciary Committee, "Nominations," June 24, 2020
  7. ↑ Senate Judiciary Committee, "Results of Executive Business Meeting," July 30, 2020
  8. ↑ WhiteHouse.gov, "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees," May 6, 2020
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Time Kaine, United States Senator from Virginia, "Warner & Kaine Announce Eastern District Of Virginia Judicial Recommendations," March 20, 2020
  10. ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III and Article IV judicial nominees," accessed June 24, 2020
  11. ↑ United States Courts, "Judicial Milestones," accessed May 7, 2020
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Senate Judiciary Committee, "Questionnaire for judicial nominees: Roderick Charles Young," accessed June 24, 2020

Political offices
Preceded by
- 		United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
2020-Present		 Succeeded by
-
Preceded by
- 		United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
2014-2020		 Succeeded by
-


Virginia courts

Federal courts:

Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia

State courts:

Virginia Supreme Court • Virginia Court of Appeals • Virginia Circuit Courts • Virginia District Courts • Virginia Magistrates

State resources:

Courts in Virginia • Virginia judicial elections • Judicial selection in Virginia

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