---
title: "Judith L. Wheat | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/judith-l-wheat-va-arlington-circuit-court"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-07-26"
---

# Judith L. Wheat

Arlington Circuit Court · Judge

## Profile

- Court: Arlington Circuit Court
- State: Virginia
- Role: Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-07-26

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## 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

### cell phones and electronic devices

Scope: statewide

Virginia courts commonly restrict cell phones and other electronic devices in court buildings; counsel and litigants should check the local court policy before arrival.

Evidence excerpt: Most courts in Virginia do not allow you to bring a cell phone or other electronic device into the building.

[Cell Phone & Electronic Device Policy](https://selfhelp.vacourts.gov/node/30/cell-phone-electronic-device-policy)
Source checked: 2026-07-26


## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.vacourts.gov/static/directories/judges_rule115.pdf)
- [Official roster](https://www.vacourts.gov/static/directories/judges_rule115.pdf)
- [Office of the Executive Secretary, Supreme Court of Virginia official judicial roster](https://www.vacourts.gov/static/directories/judges_rule115.pdf)
- [Cell Phone & Electronic Device Policy](https://selfhelp.vacourts.gov/node/30/cell-phone-electronic-device-policy)

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## Biography

### Professional career

- Founding Partner, Griffith & Wheat, PLLC, Washington, D.C. (since 2009)
- She became Chief Judge in 2023, succeeding Hon. William T. Newman Jr., and is the first woman to lead the Circuit Court
- Partner at Venable, LLP and Cacheris & Treanor
- The Chief Judge of Virginia’s 17th Judicial Circuit, serving Arlington County and the City of Falls Church, and is the first woman to hold that role
- Earlier in her career, she was a judicial law clerk to Hon. Barbara M. Keenan on the Virginia Court of Appeals

### Education

- Georgetown University Law Center — J.D. (1989)
- Georgetown University — B.A.

### Additional information

- Elected to the bench by the Virginia General Assembly in 2019.
- Admitted to the Virginia Bar (1989) and the District of Columbia Bar (1991).
- Served on boards including the Arlington Alcohol Safety Action Program and the Walter T. McCarthy Law Library.
- Judge Wheat presides over the 17th Judicial Circuit Court of Virginia, the trial court of general jurisdiction for Arlington County and Falls Church.
- One of three women currently serving as chief judge in Arlington’s local courts.
- Prior to judicial service, she was Counsel to the Clerk of the Arlington Circuit Court.
- Judge Wheat has been active in Arlington and Falls Church civic life, serving on the Aurora House Citizens’ Advisory Committee, Rock Spring Civic Association, and Lee Highway Alliance.
- Taught trial advocacy and deposition skills at the National Institute of Trial Advocacy.
- She is also a past president of The Barristers and a member of the Lawyers Club of the District of Columbia.