Senate confirms Salem attorney for bench

The U.S. Senate confirmed late Tuesday night Elizabeth Dillon, a Salem attorney, for a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia.

Dillon is the first woman to serve as a federal judge in the Western District of Virginia, which stretches from Lynchburg to Lee County and extends north to Winchester.

President Barack Obama nominated Dillon to fill the vacancy left by Judge Samuel Wilson, who retired in August.

Dillon, a former assistant city attorney for Roanoke, practiced in both state and federal courts and before regulatory agencies. She often defends local governments, constitutional officers and other public entities.

In June, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine recommended Dillon as well as Martinsville attorney Ward Armstrong, a former member of Virginia’s General Assembly.

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