Judge Sonya L. Sacks graduated from Seattle University in Seattle, Washington in 1986, and Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. in 1989. From 1989 to 2006, she worked as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Alexandria, Virginia, where she prosecuted felony, misdemeanor, traffic, and civil cases in the Alexandria Circuit Court, General District Court, and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. From 1997 to 2004, she served on a detail as a Special Assistant United States Attorney at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, where she prosecuted drug trafficking and firearms offenses. From2006 through 2020, she served as a Senior Trial Attorney for the United States Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, where she investigated and litigated civil rights cases in the Employment Litigation Section, Voting Section, and Immigrant and Employee Rights Section. She conducted both civil and criminal jury and bench trials in the state and federal court systems.

Judge Sacks was appointed as a Judge of the 18th Judicial District, Alexandria, Virginia, in April2020. She serves as a Presiding Judge in the Alexandria General District Court where she hears civil, criminal, and traffic cases. She also serves as an adjunct professor teaching trial advocacy at the George Washington University Law School. She previously served as an arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Over the course of her career, she has served on numerous committees, boards and commissions, and has received awards and recognitions for her service.