Judge Bios

Alfred S. Irving, Jr. was installed as a Magistrate Judge on September 7, 2007.

Magistrate Judge Irving was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, and was reared in Arrington, Nelson County, Virginia. When Mr. Irving began his elementary education, the public schools in Nelson County were still segregated. During his third year in elementary school, the 1967-68 term, Mr. Irving’s parents became aware that they had the option of sending their three children to the “White” school, and decided to enroll them there (Lovingston Elementary) for the 1968-69 term, where a few other African American students were also enrolling. The following school year saw the dismantling of the institution of segregation in the entire Nelson County public school system.

Mr. Irving received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Wake Forest University, in 1981. Upon graduation from college, Mr. Irving began employment with MCI Telecommunications, where he held positions in the Cost Accounting, the Network Engineering, and the Government Contracts Departments ultimately attaining the position of supervisor. While continuing his full-time employment with MCI, Mr. Irving attended law school in the evening program at Georgetown University Law Center, and received his Juris Doctor in 1987. He was a member of The Tax Lawyer, one of the four law reviews at Georgetown.

After law school Mr. Irving worked as an Associate with two national firms, first with LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene, & MacRae (previously LeBoeuf, Lamb, Leiby & MacRae), and later at the now-defunct Newman & Holtzinger, where he focused his practice in the area of electric utility ratemaking, representing clients primarily before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. While at Newman & Holtzinger, as part of his active participation in the firm’s pro bono program, Mr. Irving enjoyed his first experience with the Family Division of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, successfully litigating a child custody case. After gaining significant experience in private practice, Mr. Irving served the District of Columbia as a legal consultant to the General Counsel of the District of Columbia Armory Board, where he was responsible for daily administration of legal matters, including providing advice on questions of law, policy, and legislation.

Mr. Irving began his service with the federal government as a Trial Attorney with the United States Department of Justice in 1993. Starting at the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Civil Division, Mr. Irving served as a Trial Attorney, defending the United States in complex government contract matters before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the U.S. Department of Transportation Board of Contract Appeals. Next, Mr. Irving served as a Trial Attorney in the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section of the Criminal Division, where his duties included rendering decisions and opinions upon complex and politically sensitive petitions for remission of federally forfeited property, requests from cooperating state and local law enforcement agencies to share huge sums of federal forfeiture proceeds, and requests for transfers of forfeited real property.

In his final position with the Department of Justice, Mr. Irving served with the Environmental Enforcement Section of the Environment and Natural Resources Division, where he prosecuted civil enforcement actions in the United States District Courts against corporations and individuals for violations of federal environmental laws. During his tenure with the Department of Justice, Mr. Irving received numerous awards and commendations for outstanding service.

As a resident of the District of Columbia for 26 years, Mr. Irving has been an enthusiastic supporter of the arts, educational endeavors, and various non-profit projects. He has served as Vice-Chair of the U.S. Department of Justice Association of Black Attorneys, an organization whose mission primarily is to enhance the professional experience and development of the Department’s African American attorneys. In his capacity as Vice-Chair, Mr. Irving participated in the D.C. Bar Voluntary Bar Leadership Group. Mr. Irving has been an active member of the D.C. Bar, and was elected to serve as a member of the litigation Section Steering Committee. He was recently selected by the Committee to serve as its Co-Chair. Mr. Irving has participated in the D.C. Bar’s Pro Bono Program providing legal services to individuals through the Bar’s Advice & Referral Clinic held at Bread for the City in the Shaw and Anacostia neighborhoods. Mr. Irving also served a three-year term on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Advisory Committee on Local Rules.