G. Steven Agee

George Steven Agee (November 12, 1952) is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and a former Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia.

Background

Born in Roanoke, Virginia, Agee was educated at Bridgewater College (B.A.), the University of Virginia School of Law (J.D.) and New York University (LL.M., Taxation). He has litigated cases in Virginia and federal courts, including arguing for the appellant before the Supreme Court of the United States in Patterson v. Shumate, 504 U.S. 753 (1992).

From 1982 to 1994, he served in the Virginia House of Delegates. Opting to pursue the Republican nomination for Attorney General of Virginia in 1993, he did not seek re-election to the House. In 2001, he became a Judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia. In 2003, he was elevated to the Supreme Court of Virginia, filling the vacancy created by Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico, who took Senior Justice status.

Fourth Circuit nomination and confirmation

Agee was nominated on March 13, 2008 by President George W. Bush to fill a vacancy on the Fourth Circuit created by Judge J. Michael Luttig, who resigned on May 10, 2006. President Bush asked the Senate to consider his nomination swiftly because of the court’s heavy caseloads, and because five of the fifteen seats are vacant.^[1] Agee received a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 1, 2008, and was unanimously voted out of committee on May 15, 2008. Agee was confirmed on May 20, 2008, by a vote of 96-0 just over two months after his nomination. Agee was the fourth judge nominated to the Fourth Circuit by Bush and confirmed by the United States Senate. He received his commission on July 1, 2008, and was sworn in by his colleague and former law professor, Circuit Judge James Harvie Wilkinson III, on July 2, 2008.

Sources

• G. Steven Agee at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• Markon, Jerry, "U.S. Appeals Court Gets New Judge," The Washington Post, July 31, 2008.
• Sluss, Michael, "Senate confirms Agee for judgeship," The Roanoke Times, May 20, 2008.
• Schapiro, Jeff, "Agee's move to federal court could spark another Va. political feud," Richmond Times-Dispatch, May 20, 2008
• Simon, Neil H., "Va. Justice Agee Clears Hurdle for Federal Post," Media General News Service, May 15, 2008.
• Marcy, Jessica, "Judge from Salem gets nod for federal post," The Roanoke Times, March 14, 2008.
• Simon, Neil H., "Virginia Supreme Court Justice Agee picked for U.S. court," Richmond Times-Dispatch, March 14, 2008.
• Reichmann, Deb, "Va. Justice Nominated to Appeals Court," Associated Press, March 13, 2008.
• White House Profile of G. Steven Agee
• "Patterson v. Shumate Case Summary and Oral Argument," The Oyez Project.

References