Depp v. Heard, Au Pair Affair Judge To Retire: Reports

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA – Judge Penney Azcarate, the first woman elected to serve as chief judge in the General District Court for Fairfax County and the first woman to serve as chief judge of the 19th Judicial Circuit of Virginia, is retiring in July after 18 years of service, according to reports.

Azcarate is best known to the general public for presiding over two high-profile cases: the multi-million-dollar defamation case brought by actor Johnny Depp against his ex-wife, actor Amber Heard, in 2022, and the Brendon Banfield murder trial, known as the “Au Pair Affair” case. The Depp vs. Heard trial was the first to be fully televised, live, in Fairfax County.

Azcarate might be recognized on the street for her role in those famous cases, but she told WUSA 9 she’s most proud of establishing the Veterans Treatment Docket in Fairfax County in 2013. The Veterans Treatment Docket helps facilitate treatment, peer mentorship programs and other services for veterans who have committed non-violent offenses. The Fairfax VTD was the first established in Virginia. Now, the state has 10.

Azcarate served four years in the Marine Corps before becoming a prosecutor and being elected to serve as a judge in the General District Court for Fairfax County in 2008. She went on to serve in the 19th Judicial Circuit in Virginia in 2015.

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