Elizabeth K. Dillon

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2023}} {{Short description|American judge (born 1960)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Elizabeth Dillon | image = Elizabeth Dillon (cropped).jpg | caption = Dillon in 2014 | office = Chief Judge of the [[United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia]] | term_start = July 4, 2024 | term_end = | predecessor = [[Michael F. Urbanski]] | successor = | office1 = Judge of the [[United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia]] | appointer1 = [[Barack Obama]] | term_start1 = December 19, 2014 | term_end1 = | predecessor1 = [[Samuel Grayson Wilson]] | successor1 = | birth_name = Elizabeth Kay Hillman | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1960|12|14}} | birth_place = [[Omaha, Nebraska]], U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | education = [[Lenoir-Rhyne University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[Wake Forest University]] ([[Juris Doctor|JD]]) }} '''Elizabeth Kay Dillon''' (née '''Hillman'''; born December 14, 1960) is the [[United States federal judge|chief United States district judge]] of the [[United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia]].

==Biography==

Dillon received an [[Bachelor of Arts|Artium Baccalaureus]] degree, magna cum laude, in 1983 from [[Lenoir–Rhyne University]]. She received a [[Juris Doctor]] in 1986 from [[Wake Forest University School of Law]]. She began her legal career at Woods, Rogers & Hazlegrove, PLC, from 1986 to 1998. From 1999 to 2000, she was a shareholder at Guynn & Dillon, PC, a predecessor to her later law firm. From 2000 to 2003, she worked as an assistant city attorney for the City of [[Roanoke, Virginia|Roanoke]]. From 2003 to 2014, she had been a shareholder at Guynn, Memmer & Dillon, PC, where she handled both trial and appellate matters in federal and state courts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/09/18/president-obama-nominates-seven-serve-united-states-district-courts|work=[[whitehouse.gov]]|title=President Obama Nominates Seven to Serve on the United States District Courts|via=[[NARA|National Archives]]|date=September 18, 2014}}</ref><ref name="fjc.gov">{{FJC Bio|nid=1394741|inline=yes}}</ref>

===Federal judicial service===

On September 18, 2014, President [[Barack Obama]] nominated Dillon to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia, to the seat vacated by Judge [[Samuel Grayson Wilson]], who retired on July 31, 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/09/18/presidential-nominations-and-withdrawal-sent-senate-0|work=[[whitehouse.gov]]|title=Presidential Nominations and Withdrawal Sent to the Senate|via=[[NARA|National Archives]]|date=September 18, 2014}}</ref> She received a hearing before the [[United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary]] on November 13, 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/meetings/nominations-2014-11-13|title=United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary|website=www.judiciary.senate.gov}}</ref> On December 11, 2014, her nomination was reported out of committee by [[voice vote]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Results%20of%20Executive%20Business%20Meeting%2012-11-14.pdf|title=Results of Executive Business Meeting – December 11, 2014|publisher=}}</ref> On December 13, 2014 [[Senate Majority Leader]] [[Harry Reid]] filed a motion to invoke [[cloture]] on the nomination. On December 16, 2014, Reid withdrew his cloture motion on Dillon's nomination, and the Senate proceeded to vote to confirm Dillon by [[voice vote]]. She received her federal judicial commission on December 19, 2014. She became the chief judge on July 4, 2024, after [[Michael F. Urbanski]] assumed [[senior status]].<ref name="fjc.gov"/>

=== Mountain Valley Pipeline === Dillon has been criticized for several decisions surrounding the [[Mountain Valley Pipeline]] in Southwest Virginia. On May 4, 2018, Dillon found 61 year old Theresa 'Red' Terry in [[contempt of court]] for protesting the pipeline while on her own land, threatening a $1,000/day fine and use of [[U.S. Marshal]]s to forcibly remove her. The land has been in Terry's family for 7 generations <ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.roanoke.com/news/local/roanoke_county/judge-finds-red-terry-and-her-daughter-in-contempt-for/article_7e957ad4-0b4f-5a3f-b261-f69ed6fe2227.html| title = Judge finds 'Red' Terry and her daughter in contempt for tree-sit protests of pipeline {{!}} Local News {{!}} roanoke.com| date = May 4, 2018}}</ref> On May 16, 2018, Dillon found two farmers in contempt of court for encouraging a tree sit on their property.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wsls.com/news/virginia/franklin/franklin-county-family-hosting-tree-sitters-receives-fines|title=Franklin County family hosting tree-sitters receives fines|date=May 17, 2018}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{FJC Bio|nid=1394741}} *{{Ballotpedia|Elizabeth_K._Dillon}}

{{s-start}} {{s-legal}} {{s-bef|before=[[Samuel Grayson Wilson]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Judge of the [[United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia]]|years=2014–present}} {{s-inc|rows=2}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Michael F. Urbanski]]}} {{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Chief Judge of the [[United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia]]}}|years=2024–present}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dillon, Elizabeth K.}} [[Category:1960 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:20th-century American lawyers]] [[Category:20th-century American women lawyers]] [[Category:21st-century American women judges]] [[Category:21st-century American lawyers]] [[Category:Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia]] [[Category:Lenoir–Rhyne University alumni]] [[Category:Lawyers from Omaha, Nebraska]] [[Category:Lawyers from Roanoke, Virginia]] [[Category:United States district court judges appointed by Barack Obama]] [[Category:Wake Forest University School of Law alumni]]