Michael S. Nachmanoff

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Michael S. Nachmanoff (born 1968) is an American lawyer who serves as a United States district judge for the Eastern District of Virginia. He previously served as a magistrate judge on the same court from 2015 to 2021.

Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Arlington, Virginia, Nachmanoff earned a BA from Wesleyan University in 1991 and a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1995. He is Jewish.

Clerkship and early career: He clerked for Judge Leonie Brinkema (EDVA) from 1995 to 1996. He then worked at Cohen, Gettings & Dunham, P.C., as an associate (1996–2000) and partner (2000–2002). From 2002 to 2015, he worked for the Federal Public Defender's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, rising from first assistant to acting federal public defender (2005–2007) to chief federal public defender (2007–2015). In 2007, he argued Kimbrough v. United States before the Supreme Court, about district judges' discretion to depart from sentencing guidelines in crack cocaine cases.

Judicial service and confirmation: Nachmanoff became a United States magistrate judge on March 1, 2015. In 2021, he was recommended for a district judge seat and was nominated by President Biden to the seat vacated by Judge Anthony Trenga. His nomination was heard July 28, 2021, reported out of committee on September 23, 2021, cloture was invoked on October 26, 2021, and he was confirmed on October 27, 2021. He received his commission on November 2, 2021.

Notable recent case: In September 2025, Nachmanoff was randomly assigned to preside over the federal criminal case against former FBI Director James Comey. A November 2025 hearing on Comey’s motion to dismiss raised questions about a possible declination memo, and a trial was scheduled for January 2026.