--- title: "Mark Steven Davis | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-steven-davis" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # Mark Steven Davis 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 - Judge, District Court, E.D. Virginia, 2008-present - As of December 4, 2025, Davis is no longer Chief Judge but remains an active judge on the Eastern District of Virginia court - He became Chief Judge of the court on December 4, 2018, a role he held until December 4, 2025, when M. Hannah Lauck succeeded him - U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia, appointed in 2008, and held the role of Chief Judge from 2018 until December 4, 2025 - He then held the role of a judge on the Portsmouth Circuit Court, Third Judicial Circuit of Virginia from 2003 to 2008 - Law clerk, Hon. John A. MacKenzie, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, 1988-1989 - Before joining the federal judiciary, he held the role of a law clerk to Judge John A. MacKenzie of the Eastern District of Virginia (1988–1989). ### Education - Washington & Lee University School of Law (JD, 1988) - University of Virginia-Main Campus — B.A. (1984) ### Additional information - The U.S. Senate confirmed him 94–0 on June 10, 2008, and he received his commission on June 23, 2008. - Appointed: 2008 by George W. Bush - On November 15, 2007, President George W. Bush nominated Davis to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, a seat vacated by T.S. Ellis III. - Private practice, Virginia, 1989-2003 - From 1989 to 2003, Davis practiced law in Virginia, first at McGuireWoods (1989–1998) and later at Carr-Porter LLC (1998–2003), where he was an expert in maritime law. - Mark Steven Davis was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, in 1962. - Date of birth: 1962-01-01 - His tenure as Chief Judge was the longest in the court’s history, and he was recognized for his judicial leadership and expertise in maritime and commercial law. - Birth place: Portsmouth, VA ## 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/1392711) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392711) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392711) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/822/mark-steven-davis/) - [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/822/mark-steven-davis/) - [Wikidata: Mark Steven Davis](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6769844) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-steven-davis", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-steven-davis", "name": "Mark Steven Davis | KnowJudges", "description": "Mark Steven Davis, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-08-02", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-steven-davis#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-steven-davis#judge", "name": "Mark Steven Davis", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-steven-davis", "jobTitle": "Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392711", "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/822/mark-steven-davis/" ], "birthDate": "1962", "birthPlace": "Portsmouth, VA", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "University of Virginia-Main Campus" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Washington and Lee University School of Law" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Virginia", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/virginia" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Mark Steven Davis", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-steven-davis" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 172 | 26 | 0.4 | 26 | | 2y | 293 | 70 | 2.3 | 70 | | 5y | 609 | 325 | 5.5 | 325 | | 10y | 1285 | 1000 | 6.2 | 1000 | 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.