Senator Warner and Senator Jim Webb recommended today that President Obama nominate Virignia Supreme Court Justice Barbara M. Keenan to serve as judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

If nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Justice Keenan would be the first female judge from Virginia to serve on the federal appeals court.  

Senator Warner said today:

"Justice Keenan has served with distinction at every level of state court in Virginia.  She is extremely highly qualified, and I heartily recommend her appointment to the federal appellate bench."

Justice Keenan, 59, has served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia since 1991. Prior to that, Keenan served as a judge on the General District and Circuit Courts of Fairfax County and the Virginia Court of Appeals.  She was the first woman appointed to the bench in Virginia, and one of the initial ten appointees to the Virginia Court of Appeals following its creation in 1985.  Earlier in her career, she worked as an assistant prosecutor in Fairfax and briefly worked as an attorney in private practice.

In May, Virignia Lawyers Weekly named Justice Keenan as the "influential woman of the year" for "a litany of first and years of service."

Justice Keenan, who lives with her husband in Alexandria, graduated from Cornell University in 1971 and received her law degree from The George Washington University Law School in 1974.  She has also earned a Master of Laws degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1992.  

Senators Warner and Webb worked together to conduct an open, extensive search to identify highly qualified Virginians for the vacancy.  The senators solicited recommendations from the leading Virginia bar associations and conducted one-on-one interviews with several potential candidates.