Law 2025: DAVIS, THE HON. MARK STEVEN

As chief judge for the Eastern District of Virginia, Davis hears the stories of people’s lives. Lives that have been impacted by traumatic events, like armed robberies or gang violence. In 2023, for

instance, Davis sentenced the mother of the 6-year- old boy who shot his teacher at a Newport News elementary school for federal convictions related to the gun the child used.

In his work, Davis also frequently finds himself wading in deep constitutional waters. For example, a pair of Hampton Roads citizens filed a lawsuit in 2024 alleging that the City of Norfolk’s use of automatic license plate reader cameras violates their constitutional rights. In February, Davis ruled that the case could move forward.

“Plaintiffs have plausibly alleged that a warrantless search occurred, and thus interests that the Fourth Amendment was designed to protect have been violated,” he wrote in an order.

Before President George W. Bush nominated Davis to the U.S. District Court in 2007, he served as a Portsmouth Circuit Court judge.

Davis received his bachelor’s degree in American government from the University of Virginia and his law degree from Washington and Lee University.

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