---
title: "Henry E. Hudson | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/henry-e-hudson"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-08-02"
---

# Henry E. Hudson

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, 2002-present
- Judge, Circuit Court of Virginia, Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, 1998-2002
- Director, U.S. Marshal Service, U.S. Department of Justice, 1992-1993
- U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, 1986-1991
- Commonwealth attorney, Arlington County, VA, 1980-1986
- Assistant U.S. attorney, Eastern District of Virginia, 1978-1979
- Assistant commonwealth attorney, Arlington County, VA, 1974-1979

### Education

- American University Washington College of Law in — J.D. (1974)
- American University in — B.A. (1969)

### Additional information

- Private practice, 1979-present
- He assumed senior status on June 1, 2018.
- received his commission on August 2, 2002.
- Private practice, 1994-1998
- Private practice, 1991-1992
- Henry Edward Hudson was born on July 24, 1947, in Washington, D.C., and raised in Arlington, Virginia.
- Date of birth: 1947-01-01
- As a federal judge, he has presided over numerous significant cases, including civil rights, employment, and criminal matters.
- Early in his career, he worked as a deputy sheriff in Arlington County, gaining courtroom experience.
- At 18, he held the role of a volunteer firefighter and paramedic in Arlington.
- Birth place: Washington, DC

## 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/1391606)
- [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391606)
- [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391606)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1543/henry-e-hudson/)
- [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/1543/henry-e-hudson/)

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## Federal civil docket activity

Dataset updated through 2026-06-30.

| Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| 1y | 23 | 3 | Not available | 3 |
| 2y | 98 | 51 | 3.4 | 51 |
| 5y | 526 | 461 | 5.4 | 461 |
| 10y | 1622 | 1546 | 5 | 1546 |

Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/


## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-651872d6e45e0d82319ecccc) — Civil actions in United States District Courts; Rule 81 exceptions apply. 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.
