--- title: "Anthony John Trenga | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/anthony-john-trenga" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Anthony John Trenga U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia - State: Virginia - Role: Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, E.D. Virginia, 2008-present - Senior United States district judge for the Eastern District of Virginia and, from May 2023 to May 2026, held the role of Presiding Judge of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) - Presiding Judge, FISC — appointed by Chief Justice John Roberts on May 28, 2020, as a FISC judge; became presiding judge in May 2023 and will serve until May 19, 2026 - Senior Judge, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia — appointed by President George W. Bush on July 17, 2008, to replace Walter D. Kelley Jr., confirmed by the Senate on September 26, 2008, and assumed senior status on June 1, 2021 - Before judicial service, Trenga practiced law in Washington, D.C. (1975–1987, 1998–2008) and Fairfax, Virginia (1987–1998), rising to partner and later chair of the litigation department at Miller & Chevalier. - Law clerk, Hon. Ted Dalton, U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia, 1974-1975 ### Education - University of Virginia School of Law — J.D. (1974) - Princeton University (Princeton School of Public and International Affairs) — B.A. (1971) - Duke University School of Law — LL.M. ### Additional information - U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia: 2008–2021 (active), 2021–present (senior status). - Private practice, Washington, D.C., 1998-2008 - Private practice, Fairfax, VA, 1987-1998 - Private practice, Washington, D.C., 1975-1987 - Born 1949. - Date of birth: 1949-01-01 - He specialized in complex commercial litigation, including business torts, ERISA, RICO, securities, and fiduciary claims. - Birth place: Wilkensburg, PA ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392816) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392816) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392816) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3260/anthony-john-trenga/) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3260/anthony-john-trenga/) - [Wikidata: Anthony John Trenga](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4772837) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/anthony-john-trenga", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/anthony-john-trenga", "name": "Anthony John Trenga | KnowJudges", "description": "Anthony John Trenga, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. 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Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.