--- title: "Michael Francis Urbanski | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-francis-urbanski" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Michael Francis Urbanski U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Western 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, W.D. Virginia, 2011-present - Urbanski assumed senior status on July 4, 2024, after serving as Chief Judge of the Western District of Virginia from July 3, 2017, to July 4, 2024. - U.S. District Judge (2011–2024) for the Western District of Virginia - U.S. Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia, 2004-2011 - Associate at Vinson & Elkins in Washington, D.C. (1982–1984) - Law clerk, Hon. James C. Turk, U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia, 1981-1982 - American federal judge serving as a Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia ### Education - University of Virginia School of Law — J.D. (1981) - College of William and Mary — B.A. (1978) ### Additional information - received his judicial commission on May 13, 2011. - Principal at Woods Rogers in Roanoke, Virginia (1989–2004). - Private practice, Roanoke, VA, 1984-2004 - Private practice, Washington, D.C., 1982-1984 - Born November 1, 1956, in Livorno, Italy. - Date of birth: 1956-01-01 - handling initial felony criminal proceedings, misdemeanor trials, civil motions, and settlement conferences. - His practice focused on commercial litigation, including business torts, antitrust, unfair competition, and intellectual property law. - Birth place: Livorno, Italy ## 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/1393706) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393706) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393706) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3291/michael-francis-urbanski/) - [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/3291/michael-francis-urbanski/) - [Wikidata: Michael F. Urbanski](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6830185) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-francis-urbanski", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-francis-urbanski", "name": "Michael Francis Urbanski | KnowJudges", "description": "Michael Francis Urbanski, U.S. District Court for the Western 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.