Supreme Court of Virginia Decisions
The appellate jurisdiction of the Virginia Supreme Court is largely discretionary. A party may appeal from a lower court to the Supreme Court as a matter of right only if a case involves the death penalty, the disbarment of an attorney, or the State Corporation Commission. In addition to its appellate jurisdiction, the Supreme Court holds original jurisdiction over writs of mandamus, prohibition, habeas corpus, and actual innocence. Its original jurisdiction also extends to matters related to the discipline, removal, or retirement of judges, which are filed by the Virginia Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission.
Seven justices serve on the Virginia Supreme Court, which is located in Richmond. A candidate may submit a pre-appointment application to the Governor of Virginia, or an organization may nominate a candidate. Virginia uses the legislative selection method to appoint its justices. In most cases, therefore, a justice will announce that they plan to retire after the next meeting of the General Assembly. If a vacancy arises without notice while the legislature is not in session, the Governor has the authority to appoint a temporary replacement. The General Assembly then will need to determine whether to grant a full term to that justice when it next meets.
Each justice serves a term of 12 years. When their term expires, the General Assembly will determine whether to retain them. Virginia imposes a mandatory retirement age of 70 on its justices. However, the Supreme Court may allow up to five retired justices to serve one-year terms as senior justices. They may assist with reviewing writs and may review other cases if an active justice is not available, such as when they are recused.
- 2025 (19)
- 2024 (36)
- 2023 (28)
- 2022 (45)
- 2021 (55)
- 2020 (55)
- 2019 (77)
- 2018 (79)
- 2017 (78)
- 2016 (78)
- 2015 (66)
- 2014 (74)
- 2013 (62)
- 2012 (114)
- 2011 (110)
- 2010 (113)
- 2009 (108)
- 2008 (111)
- 2007 (135)
- 2006 (116)
- 2005 (105)
- 2004 (149)
- 2003 (112)
- 2002 (128)
- 2001 (139)
- 2000 (150)
- 1999 (135)
- 1998 (149)
- 1997 (129)
- 1996 (116)
- 1995 (76)
- 1994 (120)
- 1993 (114)
- 1992 (106)
- 1991 (108)
- 1990 (136)
- 1989 (147)
- 1988 (135)
- 1987 (118)
- 1986 (112)
- 1985 (125)
- 1984 (147)
- 1983 (138)
- 1982 (130)
- 1981 (147)
- 1980 (133)
- 1979 (124)
- 1978 (112)
- 1977 (123)
- 1976 (136)
- 1975 (140)
- 1974 (126)
- 1973 (122)
- 1972 (148)
- 1971 (105)
- 1970 (98)
- 1969 (77)
- 1968 (95)
- 1967 (76)
- 1966 (100)
- 1965 (89)
- 1964 (84)
- 1963 (77)
- 1962 (75)
- 1961 (85)
- 1960 (87)
- 1959 (74)
- 1958 (73)
- 1957 (81)
- 1956 (93)
- 1955 (91)
- 1954 (102)
- 1953 (98)
- 1952 (116)
- 1951 (83)
- 1950 (106)
- 1949 (17)
- 1947 (1)
- 1938 (12)
- 1937 (13)
- 1936 (11)
- 1935 (9)
- 1934 (5)
- 1933 (7)
- 1932 (4)
- 1931 (3)
- 1930 (1)
- 1929 (5)
- 1928 (4)
- 1927 (5)
- 1926 (3)
- 1925 (4)
- 1909 (1)
- 1854 (1)
Recent Decisions From the Supreme Court of Virginia
Date: May 29, 2025
Docket Number: 240326
Justia Opinion Summary: Jamar Paxton was arrested in May 2020 for robbery and use of a firearm following the death of his girlfriend, Dominique Danzy. During interrogation, Paxton initially denied killing Danzy but later made incriminating…
Date: May 29, 2025
Docket Number: 240683
Justia Opinion Summary: Under Wild Skies, Inc. (UWS) owned a television show called Under Wild Skies, which was sponsored by the National Rifle Association (NRA). In January 2018, UWS and the NRA entered into agreements for the production and…
Date: May 22, 2025
Docket Number: 240869
Justia Opinion Summary: Norfolk Southern Railway Company challenged the constitutionality of Code § 56-16.3, which allows broadband service providers to install fiber optic cables across railroad property. The statute, enacted in 2023, aims to…
Date: May 8, 2025
Docket Number: 230718
Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves a divorce dispute between a husband and wife who married in 1993 and had two children. They lived in various locations, including Paris, France, due to the wife's job. In 2014, they moved to separate…
Date: May 8, 2025
Docket Number: 240833
Justia Opinion Summary: Z.M., a non-verbal autistic child, attends the Center for Autism at Kiln Creek Elementary School. Through his father, he filed a lawsuit alleging that while being transported on a school bus, Newport News Public Schools…
Date: April 17, 2025
Docket Number: 240212
Justia Opinion Summary: Roscoe James Shaw was convicted of maliciously concealing a dead body in violation of Virginia law. Shaw and his partner, James Fisher, lived together in Arlington, Virginia. Fisher died under unclear circumstances, and…
Date: April 10, 2025
Docket Number: 230829
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2017, Silfredo Antonio Castillo Canales was convicted of statutory burglary and grand larceny, receiving concurrent five-year sentences with two years and six months suspended, and was placed on supervised probation.…
Date: April 3, 2025
Docket Number: 240166
Justia Opinion Summary: Fatima Shaw-McDonald filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against Eye Consultants of Northern Virginia, P.C. after suffering vision loss following cataract surgery. While the lawsuit was pending, she filed for Chapter 7…
Date: April 3, 2025
Docket Number: 240378
Justia Opinion Summary: Dennis Christopher Howard sued Spotsylvania County Sheriff Roger L. Harris and Deputy David Setlock for injuries from a self-inflicted gunshot wound while detained in a law enforcement vehicle. Howard claimed Harris was…
Date: March 27, 2025
Docket Number: 240315
Justia Opinion Summary: Sycamore Cross Solar LLC applied for certificates of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) to construct and operate a solar facility in Isle of Wight County and Surry County, Virginia. The project aimed to generate up…
Date: March 20, 2025
Docket Number: 230800
Justia Opinion Summary: Brian Kuang-Ming Welsh was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony. Welsh, a drug addict, was financially troubled and had been terminated from his…
Date: February 20, 2025
Docket Number: 230914
Justia Opinion Summary: Sergeant Hoggard of the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office received information about cocaine in cell block 2K of the Norfolk City Jail. During a search, a narcotics-detecting canine alerted to a personal property bag on Jerome…
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
