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Virginia Supreme Court justice vacancy (March 2022)
| Virginia Supreme Court |
|---|
 |
| Mims vacancy |
| Date: March 31 ,2022 |
| Status: Seat filled |
| Nomination |
| Nominee: Thomas P. Mann |
| Date: June 17, 2022 |
On June 17, 2022, the Virginia General Assembly elected Thomas P. Mann for a 12-year term on the Virginia Supreme Court that commenced August 1, 2022.[1] Mann succeeded former Justice William Mims, who retired on March 31, 2022.[2] Under Virginia law at the time of the vacancy, the Virginia General Assembly selected the justices of the supreme court. At the time of the vacancy, Democrats held a 21-19 majority in the Senate and Republicans held a 52-48 majority in the House.
Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the Virginia Supreme Court vacancy:
- A list of candidates who applied to the vacancy.
- An overview of the selection process.
- An overview of the court following the vacancy.
- An overview of the justice who left office.
- A list of other state supreme court appointments in 2022.
The appointee
- See also: Thomas P. Mann
Before his election to the supreme court, Thomas Mann was a judge of the Fairfax Circuit Court and the 19th Judicial District's Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.
He earned a bachelor's degree from New York University and a J.D. from the American University College of Law.[3]
Appointee candidates and nominations
Applicants
The Virginia State Bar (VSB) conducted interviews for candidates who applied to fill the vacancy on November 10, 2021.[4] The VSB conducted additional interviews on February 16, 2022.[5]
The selection process
- 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.[6] 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.[6]
Qualifications
To serve on the supreme court, a judge must be:
- a state resident; and
- a state bar member for at least five years.[7]
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.[8]
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.[9][10]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
Makeup of the court
- See also: Virginia Supreme Court
Justices
Following Mims' retirement, the Virginia Supreme Court included the following members:
Two justices—Powell and Goodwyn—were selected by a General Assembly with a Democratic-controlled Senate and a Republican-controlled House. However, Republicans held a majority in the General Assembly overall. Justice Powell was selected when Republicans had a 77-61 majority. Justice Goodwyn was appointed by Gov. Tim Kaine (D) in 2007, while the legislature was out of session, and approved by the 74-63 Republican-majority General Assembly in 2008. Justices Kelsey, McCullough, and Chafin were selected by a General Assembly with Republican control of both chambers.
About the court
| Supreme Court of Virginia |
|---|
|
| Court Information |
| Justices: 7 |
| Founded: 1776 |
| Location: Richmond, Virginia |
| Salary |
| Associates: $243,842[11] |
| Judicial Selection |
| Method: Direct legislative appointment |
| Term: 12 years |
| Active justices |
| Teresa M. Chafin, S. Bernard Goodwyn, D. Arthur Kelsey, Thomas P. Mann, Stephen R. McCullough, Cleo Powell, Wesley G. Russell Jr. |
Founded in 1776, the Virginia Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Bernard Goodwyn. In 2018, the court decided 1,697 cases.
As of August 2022, one judge on the court was appointed by a Democratic governor and six were appointed by the General Assembly. Bernard Goodwyn was appointed to a pro tempore term by Tim Kaine before the legislature confirmed him to a full term.
The court is located in Richmond, Virginia directly across the street from the Virginia Capitol building.[12]
In Virginia, state supreme court justices are selected through direct legislative appointment. Justices are appointed directly by the state legislature. There are two states that use this selection method. To read more about the legislative appointment of judges, click here.
About Justice Mims
- See also: William Mims
Justice William Mims joined the Virginia Supreme Court in 2014. He was elected to a 12-year term by the Virginia General Assembly on March 10, 2010, which commenced on April 1, 2010. He was chosen to fill the vacancy created by former Justice Barbara Keenan's retirement.[13]
Before being elected to the supreme court, Mims served as the Virginia attorney general, chief deputy attorney general, a member of the Virginia State Senate, and a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. He also worked as an attorney in private practice.[13]
Mims earned an A.B. from the College of William and Mary in 1979, a J.D. from George Washington University in 1984, and an LL.M. from Georgetown University in 1986.[13]
Other state supreme court appointments in 2022
- See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2022
The following table lists vacancies on state supreme courts that opened in 2022. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.
Click here for vacancies that opened in 2021.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Richmond Times-Dispatch, "General Assembly elects two Supreme Court justices," June 17, 2022
- ↑ Richmond Times-Dispatch, "Justice Mims is leaving Virginia Supreme Court next year," July 29, 2021
- ↑ Virginia State Bar, "General Assembly Elects Two New Justices to Supreme Court," June 22, 2022
- ↑ Virginia State Bar, "VSB to Evaluate Candidates for Supreme Court of Virginia Vacancy," September 1, 2021
- ↑ Virginia State Bar, "VSB to Evaluate Additional Candidates for Supreme Court of Virginia Vacancy," November 19, 2021
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 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
- ↑ The salary of the chief justice may be higher than an associate justice.
- ↑ Virginia's Judicial System, "Supreme Court of Virginia," accessed August 19, 2021
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Virginia Appellate Court History, "William C. Mims," accessed March 7, 2022
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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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