HOFFMAN, WALTER EDWARD
Federal district judge Walter Edward Hoffman “single-handedly cleared a legendary backlog” of cases in the late 1950s by “working around the clock and seven days a week.” A firm believer that justice delayed is often justice denied, Hoffman created the “rocket docket” system to move cases through his courtroom more efficiently.
Hoffman’s workaholic spirit came to character-
ize his court—and years after his retirement, the
Eastern District of Virginia was still one of the
fastest and most efficient courts in the United
