RICHMOND, Va. —The judge assigned to preside over Michael Vick's sensational dog-fighting case is a tough jurist who has a history of exceeding federal sentencing guidelines to make a point, criminal defense attorneys here said today.

Federal District Court Judge Henry E. Hudson, appointed by President Bush in 2002, has considerable experience as a prosecutor. Before he took to the federal bench, he served as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia for about five years. He also served as the director of the U.S. Marshall Service from 1992 to 1993.

"He is highly regarded by lawyers in the Eastern District of Virginia and he enjoys a pretty strict reputation," said Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond law professor who specializes in Constitutional law and the federal courts. "From his prosecutorial background, he may see the case from the U.S. [attorney's side] more favorably than from somebody who comes from a criminal defense background."

Hudson did not immediately respond to a telephone call for comment this morning.

He is expected to set an initial hearing date in the case today for sometime in the next two weeks. Summons might be issued as early as this afternoon for Vick and the other defendants to appear at that hearing.

Steven D. Benjamin is a veteran criminal defense attorney who has represented many clients before Hudson.

"He is not temperamental. He is even-handed. He affords everyone equal respect," Benjamin said. He added that Hudson "is willing to take into consideration the effect of the crime on a community" when he sentences defendants.

Benjamin referred to a corruption case in 2004 in which Hudson sentenced a Richmond City Hall employee to 10 years in prison, declaring the normal punishment was inadequate given the damage Robert Evans did to the city.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported the sentence was almost double the federal guidelines. Hudson also ordered Evans to pay back the $1.1 million he stole from city taxpayers.

"He brought absolute disgrace to the city of Richmond," Hudson said during the sentencing, according to the Times-Dispatch.

Hudson's court is part of the Eastern District of Virginia, which has a reputation of quickly trying cases through its "rocket-docket." Vick's trial is expected to begin within 70 days of his initial court appearance under the federal Speedy Trial Act, though Vick and his defendants could waive their right to a quick trial.

"They move them along," said Jim Roberts, another attorney who has represented clients before Hudson. "It has been the policy of the Eastern District of Virginia for a long time... I think everybody is so much aware of the 'rocket-docket' nature that it has become the thing to expect."

Less is known about the lead prosecutor in the case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael R. Gill. His office declined a request for an interview with Gill, who works under U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg.