Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 551
Fairfax, VA 22035-0065
Contact: Merni Fitzgerald, Director of Public Affairs
703-324-3187, TTY 711, Fax 703-324-2010
Media Pager: 703-324-NEWS (6397)
publicaffairs@fairfaxcounty.gov
May 29, 2008
New Fairfax County General District Court Judge to Take Oath June 6
Penney S. Azcarate will be formally sworn in as a new judge of the Fairfax County General District Court at an investiture ceremony on Friday, June 6, at 4 p.m. The ceremony will take place in Courtroom 5J, Fairfax Courthouse, 4110 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax. She was elected by the Virginia General Assembly to fill the vacancy created by Judge Robert Smith’s appointment to the Fairfax Circuit Court.
Azcarate served as an assistant commonwealth’s attorney for Fairfax
County for five years. After leaving the prosecutor’s office, she was in
private practice at Briglia and Hundley, P.C., with an emphasis on
criminal defense and civil litigation.
In 2006, Azcarate was selected as a substitute judge at the district
court level in Fairfax County. During her tenure, she heard cases in the
Fairfax County General District Court and Juvenile and Domestic Relations
District Court, as well as serving as a substitute judge for district
courts in neighboring counties and jurisdictions.
Azcarate graduated from George Mason University School of Law and received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Old Dominion University. Upon graduating, she was commissioned in the United States Marine Corps and served four years on active duty as a communications officer stationed in Camp Pendleton, Calif., participating in Operation Desert Storm. After active duty, Azcarate transferred to the Marine Reserves and was honorably discharged at the rank of major.
For further information, contact Suzy Swain, Fairfax County General District Court, 703-246-4012, TTY 711.
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