Rossie D. Alston Jr.

Rossie David Alston Jr. (born May 31, 1957) is a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. He was formerly a Judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia after having previously been a judge in the Prince William County Circuit Court and the Prince William County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.

Biography
Alston graduated from Averett University in 1979 and obtained his law degree from the North Carolina Central University School of Law in 1982. He began his career as a staff attorney for the National Labor Relations Board, a post he held for two years before going into private practice. He was elected by the Virginia General Assembly to be a judge of the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court for the 31st Judicial District, encompassing Prince William County, in 1998. He was elected to the Prince William County Circuit Court in 2001. While on the circuit court, he presided over the case of John Allen Muhammad, the mastermind of the D.C. sniper attacks, which brought him national attention. He was selected by his colleagues to be Chief Judge of the circuit court in 2007, when that position became vacant upon the elevation of LeRoy F. Millette Jr. to the Court of Appeals. Alston was elevated to the Virginia Court of Appeals in 2009 to fill the vacancy created upon the retirement of Jean Harrison Clements.

On March 4, 2016, the state Senate Courts of Justice Committee certified Alston as qualified for a seat on the Virginia Supreme Court after the Senate nominated him to be elected to a twelve-year term. He was blocked by Democrats from joining the state Supreme Court.

Federal judicial service
On June 7, 2018, President Trump announced his intent to nominate Alston to serve as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. He was Trump's second African-American federal judicial nominee. On June 18, 2018, his nomination was sent to the United States Senate. Trump nominated Alston to the seat on the vacated by Gerald Bruce Lee, who retired on September 30, 2017. On October 10, 2018, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

On January 3, 2019, his nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the Senate. On January 23, 2019, President Trump announced his intent to renominate Alston Jr. for a federal judgeship. His nomination was sent to the Senate later that day. On February 7, 2019, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 20–2 vote.

On June 5, 2019, the Senate voted to invoke cloture on Alston's nomination by 74–19. On June 10, 2019, his nomination was confirmed by a 75–20 vote. He received his judicial commission on June 12, 2019.