Education and career
Born in Scott County, Virginia, Hilton spent his earliest childhood largely outdoors on a farm and raised an adopted fox.[3] His family later moved to Dayton, Ohio and he eventually received a Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio State University in 1963 while working as a men's clothier clerk at the Lazarus Department Store.[3]
He achieved a Juris Doctor from the Washington College of Law at American University in 1966, and married his wife Joretta.[3]
He was an assistant commonwealth's attorney of Arlington, Virginia, from 1967 to 1968. He was in private practice in Arlington from 1968 to 1973, was the Commonwealth's Attorney for Arlington County from 1974 to 1975, and returned to private practice from 1976 to 1985. He was also a commissioner in chancery for the Circuit Court of Arlington County from 1976 to 1985.[4]
Federal judicial service
On May 15, 1985, Hilton was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 10, 1985.
Hilton was Chief Judge from 1997 to 2004, assuming senior status on December 31, 2005. In May 2000, Chief Justice William Rehnquist appointed Hilton as a judge on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC). His term on the FISC expired on May 18, 2007.[4]
