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 called a United States district judge. She works 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 make sure laws were followed.
About Patricia Giles
Patricia Giles grew up in Hampton, Virginia. She went to the University of Virginia and earned her first degree in 1995. Later, she went to the University of Virginia School of Law and became a lawyer in 1998.
Her Career Path
After finishing law school, Patricia Giles worked for a judge named Gerald Bruce Lee. She was his law clerk from 1998 to 2000. A law clerk helps a judge with research and writing.
From 2000 to 2003, she worked at a law firm called Cooley Godward LLP. Here, she helped people and companies with different legal issues.
Then, from 2003 to 2021, she worked as an Assistant United States Attorney. This means she was a lawyer who represented the United States government in court. She worked in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. She even became a managing assistant U.S. attorney, which is a leadership role.
Becoming a Federal Judge
In 2021, President Joe Biden decided to nominate Patricia Giles to become a United States district judge. This is a very important job where judges make decisions about legal cases.
First, her name was sent to the United States Senate. The Senate is part of the U.S. government that approves or rejects presidential nominations. A special group in the Senate, called the Judiciary Committee, held a hearing to learn more about her. They voted to recommend her for the job.
Finally, the full United States Senate voted to confirm her nomination. This means they agreed that she was a good choice for the judge position. She officially became a judge on November 1, 2021.
Important Decisions
As a judge, Patricia Giles makes rulings on different cases. In October 2024, she made a ruling about voter registration in Virginia. She decided that the state had removed some voters too close to an election. She ordered that these voters should be put back on the list.
However, the United States Supreme Court later put her order on hold. This allowed the state to continue with the removals while the case was looked at more closely. This shows how different courts can review each other's decisions.
See also
