Virginia Court of Appeals
The Court of Appeals of Virginia is the intermediate appellate court in Virginia. It was established in 1985. It was created in order to increase the appellate capacity of the court system and expedite the appellate process. It is made up of 17 judges who serve eight-year terms.[1][2] The court was originally made up of 11 judges, but the passage of SB 1261 in March 2021 increased the number of judges to 17.[3] On August 10, 2021, the Virginia General Assembly elected eight new members to the court–six to fill the newly established judicial seats and two members to fill vacant seats.[4] Seven of the eight judges took office on September 1, 2021, while one took office on November 1, 2021.[5]
- Published opinions of the Court of Appeals of Virginia can be found here.
| Virginia Court of Appeals | |||
 | |||
| Court information | |||
| Judges: | 17 | ||
| Founded: | 1985 | ||
| Salary: | Associates: $225,325[6] | ||
| Judicial selection | |||
| Method: | Legislative election of judges | ||
| Term: | 8 years | ||
Judges
| Judge | Tenure | Appointed By |
|---|---|---|
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November 1, 2021 - Present |
Virginia General Assembly |
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September 1, 2019 - Present |
Virginia General Assembly |
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February 1, 2015 - Present |
Virginia General Assembly |
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August 1, 2011 - Present |
Virginia General Assembly |
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April 16, 2006 - Present |
Virginia General Assembly |
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September 1, 2021 - Present |
Virginia General Assembly |
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September 1, 2021 - Present |
Virginia General Assembly |
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September 1, 2021 - Present |
Virginia General Assembly |
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September 1, 2021 - Present |
Virginia General Assembly |
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September 1, 2021 - Present |
Virginia General Assembly |
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September 1, 2021 - Present |
Virginia General Assembly |
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September 1, 2021 - Present |
Virginia General Assembly |
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November 1, 2013 - Present |
Bob McDonnell |
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July 1, 2022 - Present |
Virginia General Assembly |
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March 16, 2024 - Present |
Virginia General Assembly |
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April 16, 2016 - Present |
Virginia General Assembly |
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February 1, 2015 - Present |
Virginia General Assembly |
Former judges
Judicial selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Virginia
The 17 judges of the court of appeals are elected by a majority vote of both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly.[7] Appeals court justices serve for eight years. At the end of their terms, judges must be re-selected by the legislature just as they initially were.[8]
Qualifications
To serve on the appeals court, a judge must be:
- a state resident; and
- a state bar member for at least five years.[9]
Chief judge
The chief judge of the court is selected by peer vote. The appeals court chief justice serves in that capacity for four years.[10]
Vacancies
When the General Assembly is in session, midterm vacancies are filled by the same legislative selection process normally used to select judges. When the assembly is not in session, the governor appoints a replacement to serve until 30 days after the start of the next session, by which point a judge must be elected to the seat.[7][11]
Salary
In 2024, the associate judges of the court received a salary of $225,325, according to the National Center for State Courts.[12]
Ethics
The Virginia Canons of Judicial Conduct set forth ethical guidelines and principles for the conduct of judges and judicial candidates in Virginia. There are six canons, excluding the one marking the date the canons went into effect:
- Canon 1: A judge must be impartial
- Canon 2: A judge must uphold the public trust
- Canon 3: A judge must promote efficient and effective delivery of justice
The full text of the Virginia Canons of Judicial Conduct can be found here.
Removal of judges
Judges in Virginia may be removed in one of two ways:
- By the supreme court after an investigation by the judicial inquiry and review commission; an investigation may be sparked by a complaint or judicial disability. The commission holds a hearing and evaluates a case, after which it may choose to file a formal complaint with the supreme court.
- By the legislature; the house of delegates may vote to impeach a them, after which a two-thirds vote of the senate may remove them.[13]
State profile
| Demographic data for Virginia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Virginia | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 8,367,587 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 39,490 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 69% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 19.2% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 6% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 3.2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 8.6% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 88.3% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 36.3% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $65,015 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 13% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Virginia. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Virginia
Virginia voted for the Democratic candidate in four out of the six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, five are located in Virginia, accounting for 2.43 percent of the total pivot counties.[14]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Virginia had five Retained Pivot Counties, 2.76 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More Virginia coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Virginia
- United States congressional delegations from Virginia
- Public policy in Virginia
- Endorsers in Virginia
- Virginia fact checks
- More...
See also
External links
- Virginia's Judicial System, "Judges of the Court of Appeals of Virginia"
- Virginia's Judicial System, "Court of Appeals of Virginia"
Footnotes
- ↑ Virginia's Judicial System, "Court of Appeals of Virginia"
- ↑ Virginia's Judicial System, "Virginia Courts in Brief: term limits" see pg. 8
- ↑ Virginia's Legislative Information System, "SB 1261 Court of Appeals; expands jurisdiction, increases from 11 to 17 number of judges on Court," accessed April 1, 2021
- ↑ Associated Press, "Virginia lawmakers elect 8 new judges to appeals court," August 10, 2021
- ↑ Virginia's Legislative Information System, "House Joint Resolution No. 7004," August 10, 2021
- ↑ The salary of the chief judge may be higher than an associate judge.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Virginia's Legislative Information System, "Constitution of Virginia," accessed September 19, 2014 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "VAconst" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection," accessed August 18, 2021
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection," accessed August 18, 2021
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection," accessed August 18, 2021
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection," accessed August 18, 2021
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "2024 Salaries and Rankings," accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Virginia, Removal of Judges," accessed August 14, 2015
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
Federal courts:
Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia
State courts:
Virginia Supreme Court • Virginia Court of Appeals • Virginia Circuit Courts • Virginia District Courts • Virginia Magistrates
State resources:
Courts in Virginia • Virginia judicial elections • Judicial selection in Virginia
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