Two judges with ties to the Roanoke Valley are on a short list of candidates for vacancies on the U.S. appeals court that covers Virginia.

U.S. District Court Judge Glen Conrad, who hears cases in Roanoke, and Virginia Supreme Court Justice Steven Agee, who is from Salem, are among five candidates that Sens. John Warner and Jim Webb are forwarding for presidential consideration.

The senators want to fill two spots on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit -- Judge Michael Luttig resigned in May 2006, and Judge Emory Widener Jr. has said he will step down once his successor is confirmed.

Conrad's assistant said he would have no comment on the process, and Agee did not return a call seeking comment Wednesday.

The appeals court hears cases coming from federal courts in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and North and South Carolina. The appeals court's 15 seats are traditionally divided among the states, with Luttig's and Widener's positions allocated to Virginia.

Also on the senators' list of candidates are Thomas Albro of Charlottesville, John Douglass of Richmond and Agee's fellow state Supreme Court Justice Donald Lemons.

-- Mike Gangloff