The Supreme Court of Virginia is one of the oldest continuous judicial bodies in the United States, tracing its roots to the appellate court created by the Virginia colony’s House of Burgesses in the seventeenth century. The court was created by legislative acts passed in 1778 and 1779 and given the name the Court of Appeals of Virginia. It met for the first time in Williamsburg on August 30, 1779.
Shortly thereafter, the court moved from Williamsburg to Richmond and was housed in numerous buildings until 1981 when it moved into the current Supreme Court Building in downtown Richmond. At different points in time, the Court of Appeals of Virginia also maintained clerk’s offices and heard cases at satellite courthouses in Staunton, Wytheville and Lewisburg (now in West Virginia). The Constitution of 1971 renamed the court the Supreme Court of Virginia and ended the requirement that the court hold sessions in other parts of the state.
The Supreme Court of Virginia is comprised of seven justices elected to 12 year terms by a majority vote of both houses of the General Assembly. The Chief Justice is selected by a majority vote of the seven justices for a 4-year term and serves as the administrative head of Virginia’s Judicial System as provided by Virginia’s Constitution.
Possessing both original and appellate jurisdiction, the court’s primary function is to review decisions of lower courts, including the Court of Appeals, from which appeals have been allowed. Virginia does not allow an appeal to the Supreme Court as a matter of right except in cases involving the State Corporation Commission and certain disciplinary actions regarding attorneys. In addition to its appellate functions, the Supreme Court is also authorized to adopt rules of practice and procedure.
The court meets for one term annually, conducting five-day sessions beginning in September and continuing every seventh week thereafter until the completion of the June docket. All sessions are held in Richmond.
For more detailed information about the court’s history or individual justices, navigate to the Virginia Appellate Court History Website.
