Patricia Tolliver Giles facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Patricia Giles
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| Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia | |
| Assumed office November 1, 2021 |
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| Appointed by | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Liam O'Grady |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Patricia Denise Tolliver
1973 (age 51–52) West Point, New York, U.S. |
| Education | University of Virginia (BA, JD) |
Patricia Tolliver Giles (born in 1973) is a special kind of judge in the United States. She works as a federal judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Before becoming a judge in 2021, she worked as a lawyer for the government, helping to bring cases against criminals.
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Her Early Life and School
Patricia Giles grew up in a city called Hampton, Virginia. She went to the University of Virginia for her college degree, earning a Bachelor of Arts in 1995. After that, she continued her studies at the University of Virginia School of Law, where she earned her law degree, called a Juris Doctor, in 1998.
Her Career as a Lawyer
After finishing law school, Patricia Giles worked for a judge named Gerald Bruce Lee from 1998 to 2000. This job is called a law clerk, where she helped the judge with his cases.
From 2000 to 2003, she worked as a lawyer at a firm called Cooley Godward LLP. Here, she handled different kinds of business cases. These included cases about agreements, inventions and creative works, and rules for businesses.
Then, from 2003 to 2021, she became an Assistant United States Attorney. This means she was a lawyer who worked for the U.S. government. She helped to prosecute serious crimes. She even worked on a special team that focused on stopping large criminal groups.
Becoming a Federal Judge
In 2021, President Joe Biden decided to nominate Patricia Giles to become a federal judge. This means he suggested her name to the United States Senate. The Senate is a part of the U.S. government that has to approve judges.
Her nomination was sent to the Senate in July 2021. The Senate Judiciary Committee held a meeting to discuss her qualifications. After that, the full Senate voted on her nomination. She was approved by a large number of votes.
On November 1, 2021, Patricia Giles officially became a United States District Judge. She took over a position that was previously held by Judge Liam O'Grady.
Important Decisions as a Judge
As a judge, Patricia Giles makes important decisions in court cases. In October 2024, she made a ruling about voters in Virginia. She decided that the state had removed some people from the voter lists too close to an election. She ordered the state to put those voters back on the lists.
However, the very next day, a higher court, the United States Supreme Court, put her order on hold. This allowed the state to continue with the removals while the case was looked at more closely.
See also
