Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
Supreme Court of Virginia Chief Justice vacancy (January 2026)
| Virginia Supreme Court |
|---|
 |
| Goodwyn vacancy |
| Date: January 1, 2026 |
| Status: Retirement scheduled |
| Nomination |
| Nominee: To be determined |
| Date: To be determined |
Supreme Court of Virginia Chief Justice Bernard Goodwyn is retiring on January 1, 2026. Goodwyn's replacement will be appointed by the Virginia State Legislature.
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.
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.[1][2]
Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the Supreme Court of Virginia 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 2026.
Appointee candidates and nominations
Ballotpedia will post information on candidates and prospective appointees as information becomes available. If you know of information that should be included here, please email us.
The selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Virginia
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.
Makeup of the court
- See also: Supreme Court of Virginia
Justices
Following Goodwyn's retirement, the Supreme Court of Virginia included the following members:
| ■ Teresa M. Chafin | Appointed by the Virginia General Assembly in 2019 | |
| ■ D. Arthur Kelsey | Appointed by the Virginia General Assembly in 2015 | |
| ■ Thomas P. Mann | Appointed by the Virginia General Assembly in 2022 | |
| ■ Stephen R. McCullough | Appointed by the Virginia General Assembly in 2016 | |
| ■ Cleo Powell | Appointed by the Virginia General Assembly in 2011 | |
| ■ Wesley G. Russell Jr. | Appointed by the Virginia General Assembly in 2022 |
About the court
| Supreme Court of Virginia |
|---|
|
| Court Information |
| Justices: 7 |
| Founded: 1776 |
| Location: Richmond, Virginia |
| Salary |
| Associates: $243,842[3] |
| 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.[4]
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 Chief Justice Goodwyn
- See also: Bernard Goodwyn
Goodwyn received a bachelor's degree from Harvard University and his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1986.[5] Goodwyn was a partner with Willcox and Savage from 1992 to 1995, and a research associate professor at the University of Virginia School of Law from 1994 to 1995. In 1995, he was elected Virginia State Official Judge of the General District Court. Two years later, he was elected Virginia State Official Judge of the First Circuit Court. In 2007, Goodwyn was appointed to the Virginia Supreme Court.[5]
Other state supreme court appointments in 2026
- See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2026
The following table lists vacancies on state supreme courts that opened in 2026. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.
Click here for vacancies that opened in 2025.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 PilotOnline.com, "Kaine appoints Chesapeake judge to Virginia Supreme Court," archived October 15, 2014
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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
| |||||||
