--- title: "Mark R. Colombell | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-r-colombell-virginia-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Mark R. Colombell U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia - State: Virginia - Role: U.S. Magistrate Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-29 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - 2021–Present: U.S. Magistrate Judge, Eastern District of Virginia - U.S. Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court - Eastern District of Virginia, from 2021-05-10 - 2003–2021: Civil litigator and shareholder at Thompson McMullan P.C. in Richmond - 2002–2003: Law clerk to Judge Michael C. Allen, Chesterfield County Circuit Court - U.S. Magistrate Judge in the Eastern District of Virginia (Richmond Division) ### Education - University of Richmond School of Law — J.D. (2002) - Integrated Science and Technology, James Madison University — B.S. (1999) ### Additional information - Officially commissioned on May 10, 2021. - Practitioner, ThompsonMcMullan, 2003-08–2021-05 - J.D. — Univ. of Richmond — 2002 - B.S. — James Madison Univ. — 1999 — Integrated Science & Technology ## 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.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=35) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=35) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=35) - [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) - [Official biography source for Mark R. Colombell](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=35) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Mark R. Colombell](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) - [Official biography source for Mark R. Colombell](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=35) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Mark R. Colombell](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-r-colombell-virginia-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-r-colombell-virginia-us-magistrate", "name": "Mark R. Colombell | KnowJudges", "description": "Mark R. Colombell, 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-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.