Robert E. Payne


Robert E. Payne is a Senior United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Education and career

Born in Mount Sterling, Kentucky, Payne received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington and Lee University in 1963 and a Juris Doctor from Washington and Lee University School of Law in 1967. He was in the United States Army, JAG Corps from 1967 to 1971. He was in private practice in Richmond, Virginia from 1971 to 1992.

Federal judicial service

On November 20, 1991, Payne was nominated by President George H. W. Bush to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia vacated by Joseph Calvitt Clarke Jr.. Payne was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 12, 1992, and received his commission on May 13, 1992. He assumed senior status on May 7, 2007.