Elizabeth Hanes

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:; John A. Gibney, Claude Hilton, Henry Hudson, Raymond Jackson, Liam O'Grady, Robert Payne, Rebecca Beach Smith, Anthony Trenga

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
	Name: Elizabeth Hanes
	Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
Progress
	Confirmed 75 days after nomination.
	Nominated: May 19, 2022
	ABA Rating: Qualified by a substantial majority/Well Qualified by a minority
	Questionnaire: Questionnaire
	Hearing: June 22, 2022
	Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
	QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
	Reported: July 21, 2022
	Confirmed: August 2, 2022
	Vote: 59-37

Elizabeth Hanes is a judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. She was nominated to the court by Joe Biden (D) on May 19, 2022, and confirmed by the United States Senate on August 2, 2022, by a vote of 59-37.^[1] Hanes was one of 235 Article III judges nominated by President Joe Biden (D) and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. 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 confirmation, Hanes was a federal magistrate judge with the Eastern District of Virginia.

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (Article III) (2022-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On May 19, 2022, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Hanes to be an Article III judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.^[2] She was confirmed by a 59-37 vote of the U.S. Senate on August 2, 2022.^[1] Hanes received her judicial commission on August 5, 2022.^[3] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Hanes by a vote of 59-37 on August 2, 2022.^[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Hanes confirmation vote (August 2, 2022)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	47	0	1
Republican	10	37	4
Independent	2	0	0
Total	59	37	4

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Hanes' nomination on June 22, 2022. Hanes was reported to the full Senate on July 21, 2022, after a 15-7 committee vote.^[4]

Nomination

On April 27, 2022, President Joe Biden (D) announced his intent to nominate Hanes to be an Article III judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.^[5] The president officially nominated Hanes on May 19.^[2]

Hanes was nominated to replace Judge John Gibney, Jr., who assumed senior status on November 1, 2021.^[2]

The American Bar Association rated Hanes Qualified by a substantial majority/Well Qualified by a minority.^[6] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Eastern District of Virginia, federal magistrate (2020-2022)

The judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia appointed Hanes to be a federal magistrate judge in 2020. She assumed office on June 12, 2020.^[7]

Biography

Education

Hanes received her B.A., cum laude, from the University of Richmond in 2000 and her J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Richmond School of Law in 2007.^[5]

Professional career

2016-2020: Civil litigator, Consumer Litigation Associates, P.C. in Newport News, Virginia
2009-2016: Assistant federal public defender, Eastern District of Virginia
2008-2009: Law clerk to Judge Robert B. King, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
2007-2008: Law clerk to Judge Joseph R. Goodwin, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia^[5]

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.

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.

External links

Suggest a link

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by John A. Gibney	United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia 2022-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia 2020-2022	Succeeded by -