--- title: "Arenda Lauretta Wright Allen | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/arenda-lauretta-wright-allen" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Arenda Lauretta Wright Allen 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, 2011-present - Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, having assumed senior status on May 13, 2026 - Assistant federal public defender, Eastern District of Virginia, 2005-2011 - Assistant U.S. attorney, Eastern District of Virginia, 1991-2005 - Served in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps from 1985 to 1990 as an active-duty officer, and in the Navy Reserve from 1992 to 2005 - Assistant U.S. attorney, Western District of Virginia, 1990-1991 - In summary: Arenda Lauretta Wright Allen is a veteran federal judge with a background in military law, public defense, and prosecution, now serving in senior status on the Eastern District of Virginia’s bench ### Education - In 2013, she received an honorary doctorate from Kutztown University. - North Carolina Central University School of Law in — J.D. (1985) ### Additional information - She held the role of an active judge until May 13, 2026, when she took senior status. - Allen handled over 2,500 district court cases (2000–2026), with a median case resolution time of about 202 days. - Nominated by President Barack Obama on December 1, 2010, to replace Jerome B. Friedman, Allen was confirmed by the Senate 96–0 on May 11, 2011, and commissioned the next day. - supervisory assistant federal public defender, 2006-2011 - U.S. Naval Reserve, JAG Corps, 1992-2005 - U.S. Navy, JAG Corps, 1985-1990 - Born December 9, 1960, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. - Date of birth: 1960-01-01 - Her appellate review record shows most decisions were affirmed. - Birth place: Philadelphia, 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/1393701) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393701) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393701) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/78/arenda-lauretta-wright-allen/) - [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/78/arenda-lauretta-wright-allen/) - [Wikidata: Arenda L. Wright Allen](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4788964) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/arenda-lauretta-wright-allen", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/arenda-lauretta-wright-allen", "name": "Arenda Lauretta Wright Allen | KnowJudges", "description": "Arenda Lauretta Wright Allen, 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.