--- title: "Brian Kenney | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/brian-kenney-8986" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Brian Kenney U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia · U.S. Bankruptcy Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia - State: Virginia - Role: U.S. Bankruptcy Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-06-30 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, United States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Virginia, 2011-present - Judge Brian F. Kenney serves as the Chief Judge of the Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, a role he assumed on December 24, 2024, succeeding Judge Frank J. Santoro - In 1989, he joined the law firm Miles & Stockbridge, becoming a principal attorney in their Virginia office in 1992 - Brian Kenney | Class Notes Brian Kenney Brian Kenney (Law ’83) Brian Kenney (Law ’83) has been appointed a judge for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia - He has issued notable rulings, such as denying Enviva’s application to retain Vinson & Elkins as debtors’ counsel due to conflicts of interest involving the firm’s representation of a major shareholder - Brian F. Kenney is a highly experienced legal professional and judge, recognized for his leadership as Chief Judge and his commitment to ethical and procedural rigor in bankruptcy law - His career spans decades of legal practice and judicial service, making him a prominent figure in the Eastern District of Virginia’s bankruptcy court system ### Education - Undergraduate degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. ### Additional information - He has been practicing law since 1983, obtaining a business banking specialist certificate from the American Board of Certification. - Originally appointed to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court on September 1, 2011. - As a bankruptcy judge, Kenney presides over a wide range of cases, including Chapter 13 matters, motions for relief from stay, and adversary proceedings. - This organization supports efficient case management and accessibility for litigants and attorneys. - His decisions reflect careful attention to ethical standards and impartiality in bankruptcy proceedings. - Judge Kenney’s court maintains a structured schedule for hearings, including preliminary hearings, Chapter 13 matters, and adversary motions, ensuring compliance with proper noticing requirements and districtwide uniformity. ## 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 ### motion form Scope: courtwide Request an order by written motion unless the rules authorize an application or the request is made during a hearing. State the grounds with particularity and specify the requested relief or order. Evidence excerpt: A motion must state its grounds with particularity and set forth the relief or order requested. [Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-bankruptcy-procedure.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-30 ### motion notice timing Scope: courtwide Unless a motion may be heard ex parte or another period applies, serve the written motion and hearing notice at least seven days before the hearing. Serve supporting affidavits with the motion. Evidence excerpt: A written motion (other than one that may be heard ex parte) and notice of any hearing must be served at least 7 days before the hearing date, unless the court or these rules set a different period. [Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-bankruptcy-procedure.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-30 ### contested matter notice Scope: courtwide In a contested matter not otherwise governed by the bankruptcy rules, request relief by motion and give the opposing party reasonable notice and an opportunity to be heard. A response is required only if the court orders one. Evidence excerpt: Reasonable notice and an opportunity to be heard must be given to the party against whom relief is sought. No response is required unless the court orders otherwise. [Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-bankruptcy-procedure.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-30 ### disputed fact testimony Scope: courtwide Present witness testimony on a disputed material factual issue in the same manner as testimony in an adversary proceeding. Evidence excerpt: A witness's testimony on a disputed material factual issue must be taken in the same manner as testimony in an adversary proceeding. [Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-bankruptcy-procedure.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-30 ### evidentiary hearing notice Scope: courtwide Use the court's procedure to determine, reasonably before a scheduled hearing, whether it will be an evidentiary hearing at which witnesses may testify. Evidence excerpt: The court must provide procedures that allow parties-at a reasonable time before a scheduled hearing-to determine whether it will be an evidentiary hearing at which witnesses may testify. [Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-bankruptcy-procedure.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-30 ### evidence rules Scope: courtwide Prepare evidence under the Federal Rules of Evidence and Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 43, 44, and 44.1, which apply in bankruptcy cases. Evidence excerpt: The Federal Rules of Evidence and Fed. R. Civ. P. 43, 44, and 44.1 apply in a bankruptcy case. [Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-bankruptcy-procedure.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-30 ### oath or affirmation Scope: courtwide A solemn affirmation may substitute when an oath is required. The national rule identifies the bankruptcy judge, clerk, deputy clerk, U.S. trustee, and other authorized officers as persons who may administer it. Evidence excerpt: If an oath is required, a solemn affirmation suffices. [Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-bankruptcy-procedure.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-30 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8986/brian-kenney/) - [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8986/brian-kenney/) - [U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8986/brian-kenney/) - [Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-bankruptcy-procedure.pdf) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8986/brian-kenney/) - [Bankruptcy Judge Brian Kenney Appointed and Designated as New Chief Bankruptcy Judge Effective 12/24/2024 | Eastern District of Virginia | United States Bankruptcy Court](https://www.vaeb.uscourts.gov/news/bankruptcy-judge-brian-kenney-appointed-and-designated-new-chief-bankruptcy-judge-effective) - [Brian Kenney | Class Notes](https://classnotes.uvamagazine.org/person/15966) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/brian-kenney-8986", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/brian-kenney-8986", "name": "Brian Kenney | KnowJudges", "description": "Brian Kenney, U.S. Bankruptcy 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-bankruptcy-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.