David John Novak (born 1961) is a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...

for the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (in case citations, E.D. Va.) is one of two United States district courts serving the Commonwealth of Virginia. It has jurisdiction over the Northern Virginia, Hampton Roa ...

and a former

United States magistrate judge In United States federal courts, magistrate judges are judges appointed to assist U.S. district court judges in the performance of their duties. Magistrate judges generally oversee first appearances of criminal defendants, set bail, and conduct ...

of the same court.

Education

Novak received his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

, ''

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

'', from

Saint Vincent College Saint Vincent College is a private Catholic, Benedictines, Benedictine college in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 by Boniface Wimmer, a monk from Bavaria, it is operated by the Benedictine Monks of Saint Vincent Archabbey, the first Bene ...

in 1983 and his

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from

Villanova University School of Law The Charles Widger School of Law (known as Villanova Law) is the law school of Villanova University, a private Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was opened in 1953 and is approved by the American Bar Association (A ...

in 1986."President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees" White House, March 15, 2019

Legal career

Novak has served in multiple positions at the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...

, including serving as an

Assistant United States Attorney An assistant United States attorney (AUSA) is an official career civil service position in the U.S. Department of Justice composed of lawyers working under the U.S. attorney of each U.S. federal judicial district. They represent the federal gov ...

in the Southern District of Texas from 1991 to 1994 and as a Trial Attorney in the Criminal Division. He later served 18 years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the

Eastern District of Virginia The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (in case citations, E.D. Va.) is one of two United States district courts serving the Commonwealth of Virginia. It has jurisdiction over the Northern Virginia, Hampton Roa ...

, including as Chief of the Criminal Division and as Senior Litigation Counsel.

Federal judicial service

Failed nomination for district court under Bush

On November 15, 2007, President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

nominated Novak to serve as a Judge on the

to the seat vacated by Robert E. Payne, who assumed senior status on May 7, 2007. A hearing on his nomination was held on April 3, 2008. The Senate never acted on the nomination.

United States magistrate judge

In 2012 he was selected to be a

for the

and served as one until his elevation as a federal district judge.

Renomination to district court under Trump

On March 15, 2019, President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

announced his intent to nominate Novak to serve as a

for the

. On March 26, 2019, his nomination was sent to the Senate. Novak was nominated to the seat vacated by Judge Henry E. Hudson, who assumed senior status on June 1, 2018. On April 30, 2019, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. On June 13, 2019, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 19–3 vote. On October 16, 2019, the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

invoked cloture on his nomination by a 86–4 vote. His nomination was confirmed later that day by a 89–3 vote. He received his judicial commission on October 17, 2019.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Novak, David J. 1961 births Living people 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers Assistant United States attorneys Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia People from Greensburg, Pennsylvania Saint Vincent College alumni United States Department of Justice lawyers United States magistrate judges United States district court judges appointed by Donald Trump Villanova University School of Law alumni