From Marshall to Moussaoui: Federal Justice in the Eastern District of Virginia

On February 5, 2015, John O. Peters, author of "From Marshall to Moussaoui: Federal Justice in the Eastern District of Virginia," was interviewed by The Honorable Henry E. Hudson, Judge of the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Virginia, on the fascinating stories in Peters's book. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia has, arguably, the most interesting and important history of any trial jurisdiction in the country, state or federal. The Honorable Henry E. Hudson, Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District, will interview John O. Peters, author of From Marshall to Moussaoui: Federal Justice in the Eastern District of Virginia, who will explain what makes this such a great story. Peters will discuss the role of Chief Justice John Marshall, who sat on the bench of this court for thirty-four years as a trial judge, including the trial of Aaron Burr for treason. Other topics will include the court's role during the Civil War and Reconstruction; the trials of some of America's most notorious spies and terrorists, culminating with the trial of Zacharias Moussaoui; more than twenty years of school desegregation litigation that changed the face of America and Virginia’s way of life; and a colorful admiralty jurisdiction that has seen cases related to pirates, privateers, prize ships, the Titanic, and Spanish gold. John O. Peters, a former commercial litigator who appeared before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District on numerous occasions, began writing about courts, judges, and lawyers in 1969 with the publication of Courts of the Richmond Area—A Primer. His other books include Virginia’s Historic Courthouses (1995), Richmond’s Hollywood Cemetery (2010), and From Marshall to Moussaoui: Federal Justice in the Eastern District of Virginia (2013). U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson started his legal career as an assistant commonwealth’s attorney for Arlington. During his tenure in public service, he has served as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, director of the U.S. Marshal Service, and as a circuit court judge for Fairfax County. Judge Hudson received his commission as a federal district judge in August 2002 and sits in the Richmond Division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. He is the author of Quest for Justice: From Deputy Sheriff to Federal Judge . . . and the Lessons Learned Along the Way (2007). This lecture is cosponsored with the Historical Society of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.