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Wesley G. Russell Jr.
2022 - Present
2034
3
Wesley G. Russell Jr. is a judge of the Supreme Court of Virginia. Russell assumed office on July 1, 2022. Russell's current term ends on June 30, 2034.
Russell was elected to the court by the Virginia General Assembly on June 17, 2022, for a 12-year term commencing July 1, 2022. He succeeded Justice Donald Lemons.[1] To learn more about this appointment, click here.
Biography
Education
Russell earned his law degree from George Mason University School of Law in 1995.[2]
Career
Russell was a judge on the Virginia Court of Appeals, serving from 2015 to 2022. Prior to joining the court, Russel was the deputy attorney general for civil litigation for the Commonwealth of Virginia. He was also a partner at the law firm of McSweeney, Crump, Childress & Timple PC. He started his career as a law clerk for the Virginia 13th Judicial Circuit.[1][2]
Appointments
2022
On June 17, 2022, the Virginia General Assembly elected Wesley G. Russell Jr. for a 12-year term on the Virginia Supreme Court that commenced July 1, 2022.[2] Russell succeeded former Justice Donald Lemons, who retired on February 1, 2022.[3] 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.
2014
Russell was elected to the Virginia Court of Appeals by the Virginia General Assembly on January 20, 2014, for an eight-year term commencing February 1, 2015. He served on the court until his appointment to the state supreme court.[4]
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.[5] 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.[5]
Qualifications
To serve on the supreme court, a judge must be:
- a state resident; and
- a state bar member for at least five years.[6]
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.[7]
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.[8][9]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Richmond Times-Dispatch, "General Assembly elects two Supreme Court justices," June 17, 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 George Mason University, "Wes Russell '95: Appointed to the Virginia Court of Appeals," accessed September 2, 2015 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "appoint" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ ABC 8 News, "Chief Justice of Virginia Supreme Court plans to retire on Feb. 1," December 22, 2021
- ↑ Virginia Appellate Court History, "Wesley G. Russell, Jr., February 1, 2015-June 30, 2022," accessed July 5, 2022
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 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
