Eastern Virginia’s Rocket Docket: A Model of Judicial Efficiency in 2024

In 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, known colloquially as the “Rocket Docket,” maintained its reputation as one of the swiftest civil trial courts in the nation. With a median time to trial of 14.2 months, it was only surpassed by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. This longstanding efficiency is bolstered by recent insights shared in an interview with the court’s newest judge, who elaborates on practices and strategies that sustain this performance level. For further details, the article by Robert Tata at Hunton is accessible here.