--- title: "David John Novak | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-john-novak" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-03" --- # David John Novak 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: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Later appointed as a U.S. magistrate judge for the same court in 2012, serving until 2019 - He has also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Richmond School of Law (2013–) and William & Mary Law School (2014–) - From 1994 to 2012, he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, holding positions including Chief of the Criminal Division and Senior Litigation Counsel. - He then held the role of a trial attorney in the Money Laundering Section of the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division in 1991 and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Texas from 1991 to 1994 - Began his legal career as an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1986–1991) ### Education - Villanova University School of Law in — J.D. (1986) - Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from Saint Vincent College in 1983 - St. Vincent College — B.S. (1983) ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, E.D. Virginia, 2012-present - In January 2026, Judge Novak issued an order requiring Lindsey Halligan to explain why she identified herself as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, following a prior ruling that her appointment was unlawful. - On March 26, 2019, President Donald Trump nominated Novak to a seat vacated by Judge Henry E. Hudson. - The Senate confirmed him on October 16, 2019, by a vote of 89–3, and he received his commission on October 17, 2019. - First nominated by President George W. Bush in 2007 to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, but the Senate did not act on the nomination. - David John Novak was born in 1961 in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. - Date of birth: 1961 - This demonstrates his active role in overseeing compliance with federal appointments and court orders. - David J. Novak is a highly experienced federal judge with a long career in prosecution and litigation. - His service spans roles in the Department of Justice, as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, a magistrate judge, and now as a district judge for the Eastern District of Virginia, where he continues to preside over significant federal cases. - Birth place: Greensburg ## 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/7224376) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/7224376) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/7224376) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9622/david-novak/) - [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/9622/david-novak/) - [Judge David John Novak](https://www.fjc.gov/node/7224376) - [Wikidata: David J. Novak](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q62071559) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-john-novak", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-john-novak", "name": "David John Novak | KnowJudges", "description": "David John Novak, 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.