Donald P. McDonough, Chief Judge of the General District Court of Fairfax County, Virginia announced in open court on April 2, 2008:

 “Unlike some of my junior judges, I’m not spending my time whittling away square pegs for round holes.”

 He elaborated later by explaining that his court has 88 staff, 372,000 traffic cases, and 40,000 civil cases. If a pro se litigant (someone representing themselves without legal counsel) files a paper that fails to comply with the rules and statutes, their case is dismissed. Attorneys will receive the same treatment. According to J. McDonough, who will be retiring, applying this policy is “one of the advantages of a terminal appointment.”