Pick for Norfolk judgeship advances, would be Virginia’s first openly gay federal district judge

Peter Dujardin, The Virginian-Pilot
Updated ·2 min read
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The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved a Northern Virginia federal prosecutor to become Hampton Roads’ newest federal district judge.

If he wins confirmation by the full Senate in the coming weeks, Jamar K. Walker would become the first openly gay federal district judge in Virginia.

Walker, 36, was nominated by President Joe Biden earlier this year to fill the Norfolk-based judicial vacancy held by longtime U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson, who moved to senior status after nearly 30 years on the bench.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 14-8 to advance Walker’s nomination to the full Senate. His nomination was one of 25 voted on Thursday.

After growing up in Accomack County on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, Walker received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia in 2008 and a law degree from the school in 2011. He worked for a large Washington law firm for three years before becoming an assistant U.S. attorney in Alexandria in 2015.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Walker prosecutes financial fraud crimes and also serves as the acting chief of public corruption prosecutions for the federal Eastern District of Virginia.

Lambda Legal, an organization that advocates for equal rights for the LGBT community, said in August that Walker would be the first openly gay or lesbian federal district or appellate judge not only in Virginia but the entire Fourth Circuit. That region also includes Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Walker’s confirmation would maintain the prior racial breakdown — and Black majority — on Norfolk’s federal bench.

Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner — the senators who recommended Walker for the post — released a joint statement after Thursday’s vote. “We remain confident he will serve Virginia and our country with great distinction and urge the full Senate to confirm him as soon as possible,” the senators wrote.

A full vote on the Senate floor is expected later in December.

Peter Dujardin, 757-897-2062, pdujardin@dailypress.com