Federal courts to remain in Danville

The U.S. District and Bankruptcy courts will remain in Danville, city officials announced Friday.

The announcement was made after U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode, R-5th, set up a meeting between local and federal officials Wednesday in his Washington, D.C., office.

The U.S. Postal Service, the U.S. General Services Administration and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts met with Danville officials to discuss the future of the historic downtown post office and federal court building, according to a news release from Jerry Fischer, Danville’s director of community development.

The site has been rumored to be in danger of being closed.

If the building was closed, federal court cases and bankruptcy cases would have been reassigned to other Western District courthouses, the closest of which are in Lynchburg, Roanoke and Charlottesville.

Fischer said Judith Russell, legislative advisor for the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, assured attendees that the rumors were unfounded and that they had recently invested in upgrading Danville’s federal courtrooms.

Representatives from the U.S. General Services Administration, which leases the courts and chambers in the building, said they intend to renew the lease with the U.S. Postal Service when it expires next year, the city’s news release states.

The rumors started when the GSA said it would no longer use two rooms in the building for meetings with bankruptcy creditors. Fischer said participants at the meeting discussed bringing those meetings back to the building at 700 Main St.

Fischer said he was pleased with the outcome of the meeting because it had been difficult to get firm answers from the federal agencies until Goode got involved.

“I think it was a very productive gathering,” he said. “We were very pleased with the congressman’s efforts in putting it together.”

Contact Denice Thibodeau at or (434) 791-7985.