Junius P. Fulton, III
Junius P. Fulton III is a judge of the Supreme Court of Virginia. He assumed office on January 1, 2026. His current term ends on January 1, 2038.
Fulton first became a member of the Supreme Court of Virginia through an appointment. The Virginia General Assembly first appointed Fulton to the court on April 2, 2025 to the seat vacated by Bernard Goodwyn.[1] To learn more about this appointment, click here.
Fulton also served as a circuit court judge for the 4th Judicial Circuit in Virginia. He served from 1996 to 2021, when he was elected to the Virginia Court of Appeals.[2]
Biography
Education
Fulton received an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and a J.D. from the College of William and Mary.[3]
Career
Prior to joining the Virginia Court of Appeals in 2021, Fulton served as a judge on the 4th Judicial Circuit in Virginia from 1996 to 2021.[2]
Appointments
Supreme Court of Virginia (2026-present)
The Virginia General Assembly first appointed Fulton to the court on April 2, 2025 to the seat vacated by Bernard Goodwyn.[4] To learn more about this appointment, click here.
Virginia Court of Appeals (2021-2026)
The Virginia General Assembly elected Fulton to Virginia Court of Appeals on August 10, 2021, to fill a seat created by Senate Bill 1261, which increased the court from 11 to 17 judges.[5][6] Fulton resigned from the Virginia Court of Appeals on January 1, 2026 upon taking office as a member of the Supreme Court of Virginia.[7]
State supreme court judicial selection in Virginia
- See also: Judicial selection in Virginia
The seven justices of the supreme court are elected by a majority vote of both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly.[8] Supreme court justices serve 12-year terms. 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 supreme court, a judge must be:
- a state resident; and
- a state bar member for at least five years.[9]
Chief justice
The chief justice of the court is selected by peer vote. The supreme 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.[11][12]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Virginia's Legislative Information System, “House Resolution No. 921”, April 2, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Virginian-Pilot, "The Counselor | The relationship that started a career," January 18, 2015
- ↑ Martindale, "Judge Profile: Junius P. Fulton, III," accessed September 2, 2021
- ↑ Virginia's Legislative Information System, “House Resolution No. 921”, April 2, 2025
- ↑ Virginia Mercury, "Virginia Democrats reshape Court of Appeals with eight new appointments," August 10, 2021
- ↑ Virginia's Legislative Information System, "SB 1261 Court of Appeals; expands jurisdiction, increases from 11 to 17 number of judges on Court," accessed September 2, 2021
- ↑ Virginia's Legislative Information System, “House Resolution No. 921”, April 2, 2025
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Commonwealth of Virginia Division of Legislatie Services, "A Legislator's Guide to the Judicial Selection Process," accessed April 16, 2025
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Commonwealth of Virginia Division of Legislative Services, Judicial Selection Overview, accessed April 16, 2025
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection," accessed August 18, 2021
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
