CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Longtime state delegate Todd Gilbert was sworn in Monday as the new U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia.

Gilbert is a former House Speaker who handed that gavel last year to Portsmouth Delegate Don Scott after Democrats grabbed a House majority in the 2023 elections. Now, he’ll be listening to judges gaveling in U.S. District Court sessions as he leaves the legislature.

In the General Assembly for 20 years, Gilbert is stepping away, as well, as from his private law practice in Shenandoah County. Prior to that work, he was a prosecutor for 15 years and says, “returning to that role now is the opportunity of a lifetime.”

The UVA undergrad and SMU Law grad replaces UVA Law grad Chris Kavanaugh, who resigned after his wife was sworn onto the bench.

“My wife and I have spent our lives in the Western District and to play a part in keeping it safe is a privilege,” Gilbert said. “I look forward to working with all our state, local, and federal law enforcement partners to make the Western District of Virginia safer for all its residents.”

He was appointed by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi after being recommended, along with former Albemarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert Tracci, by Virginia U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine.

The Western District of Virginia comprises approximately sixty percent of the land area in the Commonwealth and approximately 2.2 million of its citizens. According to a DOG release, the district covers a large geographic area. While the northern corner is less than fifty miles from Washington D.C., Lee County, the western tip of the district, is farther west than Detroit and is closer to six other state capitols than it is to Richmond.