Young picked for Eastern District judgeship

President Donald Trump has announced his intent to nominate Richmond U.S. Magistrate Judge Roderick C. Young for a U.S. district court judgeship.

Young is being advanced for the seat of Rebecca Beach Smith, who took senior status in August.

Young was a Richmond prosecutor and then a federal prosecutor for 12 years before his appointment as a U.S. magistrate judge in 2014. He also is an adjunct professor at the William & Mary law school.  His career includes work at the public defender’s office in Portsmouth. He earned his BA and MA from George Mason University and his JD from West Virginia University.

Young was one of two candidates recommended for the district court judgeship by Virginia’s two U.S. senators. The other was U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Miller. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine said they welcome Young’s nomination.

“We recommended him after reviewing the assessments of an independent panel of attorneys from across the commonwealth as well as feedback from numerous bar associations in Virginia, and we believe he would serve in this position with great distinction,” the senators said in a joint statement May 7.

Young’s nomination is subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate, which is still considering Trump’s nomination of a candidate for a Western District seat. Thomas T. Cullen, now U.S. attorney for the Western District, was approved 17-5 by the Senate Judiciary Committee May 14.

Updated May 14 to add the committee vote to report Cullen.