Patricia Tolliver Giles

Eastern District of Virginia
	Fourth Circuit
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

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
	Name: Patricia Tolliver Giles
	Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
Progress
	Confirmed 105 days after nomination.
	Nominated: July 13, 2021
	ABA Rating: Well Qualified
	Questionnaire: Questionnaire
	Hearing: July 27, 2021
	Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
	QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
	Reported: September 23, 2021
	Confirmed: October 26, 2021
	Vote: 68-27

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Patricia Tolliver Giles is a judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. She was nominated to the court by President Joe Biden (D) on July 13, 2021, and confirmed by the United States Senate on October 26, 2021, by a vote of 68-27.^[1]^[2] To see a full list of judges appointed by Joe Biden, click here.

The United States 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.

Prior to her nomination, Giles was a managing assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.^[3]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (2021-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On July 13, 2021, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Giles to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. She was confirmed by a 68-27 vote of the U.S. Senate on October 26, 2021.^[1] Giles received commission on November 1, 2021. To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Giles by a vote of 68-27 on October 26, 2021.^[2] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Giles confirmation vote (October 26, 2021)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	45	0	3
Republican	21	27	2
Independent	2	0	0
Total	68	27	5

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Giles' nomination on July 27, 2021. The committee voted to advance Giles' nomination to the full Senate on September 23, 2021.

Nomination

On June 30, 2021, President Joe Biden (D) announced his intent to nominate Giles to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.^[3] The president officially nominated Giles on July 13, 2021.^[1]^[2]

Giles was nominated to replace Judge Liam O'Grady, who assumed senior status on May 1, 2020.^[4]

The American Bar Association rated Giles Well Qualified.^[5] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Biography

Education

Giles earned a B.A. from the University of Virginia in 1995 and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1998.^[3]

Professional career

2021-present: Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
2003-2021: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia
- 2019-2021: Managing assistant U.S. attorney
- 2003-2019: Assistant U.S. attorney, Major Crimes Unit
2000-2003: Associate, Cooley Godward LLP
1998-2000: Law clerk, Judge Gerald Bruce Lee, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia^[3]

About the court

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.

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.

External links

Suggest a link

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Liam O'Grady	United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia 2021-Present	Succeeded by -

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