WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine sent a letter to President Biden recommending Patricia Tolliver Giles and U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff for the vacancy in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division. 

“We are pleased to recommend Ms. Patricia Tolliver Giles and U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff for the vacancy in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division following Judge Liam O’ Grady’s decision to take senior status in May 2020,” said the Senators. “Both Ms. Giles and Judge Nachmanoff possess the requisite fairness, temperament, and integrity to serve as a U.S. District Court Judge in the Eastern District of Virginia, and have our highest recommendation.”

Warner and Kaine recommend these individuals based on their distinguished records and the assessments of an independent panel of attorneys from across the Commonwealth as well as feedback from numerous bar associations in Virginia. President Biden will now nominate one individual for the position to be considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The nomination is subject to confirmation by the full Senate.

Full text of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division letter is available here and below.

Dear Mr. President:

We are pleased to recommend Ms. Patricia Tolliver Giles and U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff for the vacancy in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division following Judge Liam O’ Grady’s decision to take senior status in May 2020. Both Ms. Giles and Judge Nachmanoff possess the requisite fairness, temperament, and integrity to serve as a U.S. District Court Judge in the Eastern District of Virginia, and have our highest recommendation.

Ms. Giles was raised in Hampton, Virginia, the daughter of a career military family.  Ms. Giles has spent her entire professional career in the Eastern District of Virginia, beginning when she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Bruce Lee.  Ms. Giles has a distinguished record of service as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District, which includes prosecuting the capital murder trial of MS-13 gang members.  We believe that practitioners would respect Ms. Giles’s rulings and that litigants would have reassurance of receiving a fair trial. 

Judge Nachmanoff has served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the Eastern District since 2015. Before his appointment to the bench, Judge Nachmanoff served for 13 years in the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Eastern District of Virginia.  As EDVA’s Chief Federal Public Defender, Judge Nachmanoff Supervised 60 attorneys and staff, who represented more than 2,500 clients each year on federal violations ranging from petty offenses and misdemeanors on federal enclaves to capital murder. Judge Nachmanoff’s esteemed record demonstrates that he would be an excellent District Court Judge.  

Ultimately, we believe either of these individuals would win confirmation from the Senate and serve capably on the bench. We are honored to recommend them to you.

Sincerely,                                                                                                                                                           

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