Robert L. Vining Jr.

Robert Luke Vining Jr. (March 30, 1931 – September 1, 2022) was an American lawyer who served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia from 1979 to 2022.

Born in Chatsworth, Georgia, Vining was a United States Air Force staff Sergeant from 1951 to 1955. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Georgia in 1959 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1959. He was in private practice in Dalton, Georgia from 1958 to 1969, serving as solicitor general of the Conasauga Judicial Circuit from 1963 to 1968. He was a superior court judge of the Conasauga Judicial Circuit from 1969 to 1979.

On June 14, 1979, Vining was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia created by 92 Stat. 1629. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 23, 1979, and received his commission on July 24, 1979. He served as Chief Judge from 1995 to 1996, assuming senior status on March 31, 1996.

Vining died on September 1, 2022, at the age of 91.