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Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial ProcedureRelease 119-102

§127 Virginia

Title 28 › PART I — ORGANIZATION OF COURTS › CHAPTER 5 — DISTRICT COURTS › § 127

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

Virginia is split into two federal court areas called the Eastern and Western districts. The Eastern district covers many counties on the east side of the state (for example Fairfax, Norfolk, Richmond, and others). Federal court for the Eastern district meets at Alexandria, Newport News, Norfolk, and Richmond. The Western district covers many counties on the west side (for example Albemarle, Roanoke, Lynchburg, and others). Federal court for the Western district meets at Abingdon, Big Stone Gap, Charlottesville, Danville, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, and Roanoke. Cities and incorporated towns belong to the same district as the county that surrounds them or the county they were formed from.

Full Legal Text

Title 28, §127

Judiciary and Judicial Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Virginia is divided into two judicial districts, to be known as the Eastern and Western districts of Virginia. Eastern District (a) The Eastern District comprises the counties of Accomac, Amelia, Arlington, Brunswick, Caroline, Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Elizabeth City, Essex, Fairfax, Fauquier, Gloucester, Goochland, Greensville, Hanover, Henrico, Isle of Wight, James City, King and Queen, King George, King William, Lancaster, Loudoun, Lunenburg, Mathews, Mecklenburg, Middlesex, Nansemond, New Kent, Norfolk, Northampton, Northumberland, Nottoway, Powhatan, Prince Edward, Prince George, Prince William, Princess Anne, Richmond, Southampton, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Surry, Sussex, Warwick, Westmoreland, and York. Court for the Eastern District shall be held at Alexandria, Newport News, Norfolk, and Richmond. Western District (b) The Western District comprises the counties of Albemarle, Alleghany, Amherst, Appomattox, Augusta, Bath, Bedford, Bland, Botetourt, Buchanan, Buckingham, Campbell, Carroll, Charlotte, Clarke, Craig, Culpeper, Cumberland, Dickenson, Floyd, Fluvanna, Franklin, Frederick, Giles, Grayson, Greene, Halifax, Henry, Highland, Lee, Louisa, Madison, Montgomery, Nelson, Orange, Page, Patrick, Pittsylvania, Pulaski, Rappahannock, Roanoke, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Russell, Scott, Shenandoah, Smyth, Tazewell, Warren, Washington, Wise, and Wythe. Court for the Western District shall be held at Abingdon, Big Stone Gap, Charlottesville, Danville, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, and Roanoke. (c) Cities and incorporated towns are included in that district in which are included the counties within the exterior boundaries of which such cities and incorporated towns are geographically located or out of the territory of which they have been incorporated.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §§ 192 and 192a, and section 403c–2 of title 16, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Conservation (Mar. 3, 1911, ch. 231, § 111, 36 Stat. 1127;
June 13, 1918, ch. 100, 40 Stat. 605; Apr. 30, 1924, ch. 144, 43 Stat. 114; Feb. 21, 1925, ch. 290, 43 Stat. 962; Jan. 20, 1930, ch. 20, § 1, 46 Stat. 56; Aug. 19, 1937, ch. 703, § 2, 50 Stat. 701;
June 13, 1938, ch. 350, 52 Stat. 674; Oct. 31, 1945, ch. 443, § 202, 59 Stat. 554). A provision of section 192 of title 28 relating to the maintenance of offices by the clerk of the western district was omitted as covered by section 452 and 751 of this title. Changes in arrangement and phraseology were made. Senate Revision AmendmentBy Senate amendment, “Newport News” was inserted after “Alexandria” in second paragraph of subsection (a) of this section. See 80th Congress

Senate Report No. 1559

.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1991—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 102–200, § 1(1), struck out reference to Culpeper, Louisa, and Orange counties. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 102–200, § 1(2), inserted reference to Culpeper, Louisa, and Orange counties. 1968—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 90–383 added subsec. (c).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Applicability of 1991

Amendments

Pub. L. 102–200, § 2, Dec. 10, 1991, 105 Stat. 1630, provided that: “(a) Pending Actions.—The

Amendments

made by section 1 [amending this section] shall not apply to any action commenced before the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 10, 1991] and pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on such date. “(b) Juries.—The

Amendments

made by section 1 shall not affect the composition, or preclude the service, of any grand or petit jury summoned, empaneled, or actually serving in the Eastern or Western District of Virginia on the date of the enactment of this Act.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

28 U.S.C. § 127

Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102