Michael Francis Urbanski (born November 1, 1956) is the Chief United States district judge on the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia 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 conduc ...

of the same court.

Early life and education

Born in Livorno, Italy, where his father was stationed in the U.S. Army, Urbanski attended Denbigh High School in

Newport News Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the Uni ...

, Virginia. Urbanski earned an Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1978 from

The College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William I ...

and a Juris Doctor in 1981 from the University of Virginia School of Law. From 1981 until 1982, Urbanski served as a law clerk to Judge James Clinton Turk of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia.

Career

From 1982 until 1984, Urbanski served as an associate in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

for the law firm

Vinson & Elkins Vinson & Elkins LLP (or V&E) is an international law firm with approximately 700 lawyers worldwide headquartered in Downtown Houston, Texas. The firm has offices in major energy, financial, and political centers worldwide, including Austin, Dalla ...

. From 1984 until 2004, practiced with the ''Woods Rogers'' law firm in

Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke ( ) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 100,011, making it the 8th most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the largest city in Virginia west of Richmond. It is ...

, serving first as an associate from 1984 until 1988, and then as a principal from 1989 until 2004.

Federal judicial service

In 2004, Urbanski was selected by the judges on the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia to be a

. On December 1, 2010, President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

nominated Urbanski to a vacant seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia that had been created by the decision by Judge Norman K. Moon to assume

senior status Senior status is a form of semi- retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of service as a federal judge must be at leas ...

in July 2010. The

Senate Judiciary Committee The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the Department of Justice (DOJ), consider executive and judicial nominations ...

reported Urbanski's nomination out of committee on March 10, 2011. The

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

confirmed him on May 12, 2011 by a 94–0 vote. He received his judicial commission on May 13, 2011. He became chief judge on July 3, 2017. In July 2023, Urbanski gave a one-year notice that he would be taking

. Virginia's senators recommended Jasmine Yoon for Urbanski's position, and President Joe Biden nominated her in January 2024. She was confirmed in March 2024, and will replace Urbanski when he transitions to senior status in July.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Urbanski, Michael F. 1956 births College of William & Mary alumni Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia Living people People from Newport News, Virginia United States district court judges appointed by Barack Obama 21st-century American judges United States magistrate judges University of Virginia School of Law alumni