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Court of Appeals of Virginia

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Court of Appeals of Virginia
Map
Established1985
LocationVirginia
Composition methodLegislative election
Authorised byVa. Code § 17.1–400
Appeals toSupreme Court of Virginia
Judge term length8 years
Number of positions17
WebsiteCourt of Appeals
Chief Judge
CurrentlyMarla Graff Decker
Since2019
Lead position ends-

The Court of Appeals of Virginia, established January 1, 1985, is an intermediate appellate court of 17 judges that hears appeals from decisions of Virginia's circuit courts and the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission. The Court sits in panels of at least three judges, and sometimes hears cases en banc. Appeals from the Court of Appeals go to the Supreme Court of Virginia.

History

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A 1971 Virginia Court System Study Commission stated the need for a unified court system to handle appeals.[1] The Court of Appeals of Virginia was established on January 1, 1985, as an intermediate court of limited appellate jurisdiction, initially with ten judges, with an eleventh judge added in 2000.[2]

In March 2021, legislation was passed to expand the jurisdiction and composition of the Court from 11 judges to 17 judges, coming into effect July 1, 2021.[3][2]

Judges

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The Court of Appeals consists of 17 judges who are elected for eight-year terms by a majority of the members of each house of the General Assembly.[2] The Court of Appeals may designate seven retired judges of the Court to serve as senior judges.[2]

Jurisdiction

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Reforms effective January 2022

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As part of a comprehensive reform bill passed by the Virginia General Assembly and signed into law in March 2021, the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeals expanded on January 1, 2022, as follows:

  • Litigants can now appeal as of right a lower court's decision in civil cases, and the Supreme Court of Virginia will retain the power to select which appeals it hears.
  • Criminal defendants can now appeal as of right a lower court's decision in criminal cases, but the Commonwealth will still need to petition the Court of Appeals if it wishes to appeal a decision in a criminal case.
  • The Court of Appeals now has jurisdiction to hear interlocutory appeals and petitions for review of injunctions.[4]

An appeal filed with the Supreme Court of Virginia before January 1, 2022, remains under its jurisdiction.[4]

Procedure

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Since January 1, 2022, when the court's jurisdiction expanded, most appeals are initiated by filing a timely notice of appeal in the tribunal whose order is being appealed and a copy with the clerk of the Court of Appeals.[4]

Decisions are issued by the Court of Appeals by written opinion or order.[5]

Current composition

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As of January 1, 2025:

Active

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Judge[6] Born Joined Term ends[7] Law school
Marla Graff Decker, Chief Judge (1958-05-31) May 31, 1958 (age 66) November 1, 2013 January 31, 2030 Richmond
Randolph A. Beales (1960-02-10) February 10, 1960 (age 64) April 16, 2006 April 16, 2030 Virginia
Mary Grace O'Brien 1958 (age 66–67) February 1, 2015 January 31, 2031 W&L
Richard Y. AtLee Jr. 1971 (age 53–54) February 1, 2015 January 31, 2031 William & Mary
Mary B. Malveaux 1967 (age 57–58) April 16, 2016 April 15, 2032 Richmond
Clay Athey (1960-09-01) September 1, 1960 (age 64) September 1, 2019 August 31, 2027 Dayton
Junius P. Fulton III 1958 (age 66–67) September 1, 2021 August 31, 2029 William & Mary
Daniel E. Ortiz 1977 (age 47–48) September 1, 2021 August 31, 2029 GW
Doris Henderson Causey 1970 (age 54–55) September 1, 2021 August 31, 2029 Texas Southern
Frank K. Friedman 1958 (age 66–67) September 1, 2021 August 31, 2029 Vanderbilt
Vernida R. Chaney – September 1, 2021 August 31, 2029 Howard
Stuart A. Raphael 1964 (age 60–61) September 1, 2021 August 31, 2029 Virginia
Lisa M. Lorish 1980 (age 44–45) September 1, 2021 August 31, 2029 Virginia
Dominique A. Callins (1979-03-11) March 11, 1979 (age 45) November 1, 2021 October 31, 2029 William & Mary
Kimberly S. White 1963 (age 61–62) July 1, 2022 June 30, 2030 Mercer
Steven C. Frucci 1966 (age 58–59) March 16, 2024 March 15, 2032 Carolina
David Bernhard – January 1, 2025 December 31, 2032 WashU

Senior

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Judge Active service Chief Senior
since
Rosemarie Annunziata 1995–2004[8] —— 2005[8]
Jean Harrison Clements 2000–2008[9] —— 2009[9]
Robert P. Frank 1999–2014[10] —— 2015[10]
James W. Haley, Jr. 2005–2012[11] —— 2012[11]

Chief judges

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Judge Chief
E. Ballard Baker 1985
Lawrence L. Koontz, Jr. 1985–1993
Norman K. Moon 1993–1997
Johanna L. Fitzpatrick 1997–2006[12]
Walter S. Felton, Jr. 2006–2014
Glen A. Huff 2015–2019[13]
Marla Graff Decker 2019–[14]

References

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  1. ^ Report of the Court System Study Commission to The Governor and The General Assembly of Virginia, Virginia House Document No. 6 (1972 Regular Session) (1971)
  2. ^ a b c d "The Court of Appeals of Virginia" (PDF). Virginia's Judicial System / About. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  3. ^ "SB 1261 Court of Appeals; expands jurisdiction, increases from 11 to 17 number of judges on Court". lis.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  4. ^ a b c "LIS > Bill Tracking > SB1261 > 2021 session". lis.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2021-06-14.
  5. ^ "The Court of Appeals of Virginia (informational pamphlet)" (PDF). Virginia's Judicial System. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 June 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  6. ^ "Judges of the Court of Appeals of Virginia, 1985-". Virginia Appellate Court History.
  7. ^ "Virginia Justices and Judges Terms of Office" (PDF). Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  8. ^ a b "Lawyers in the News". Virginia Lawyers Weekly. September 26, 2005.
  9. ^ a b Cooper, Alan (November 24, 2008). "Judge Clements to retire from appeals court". Virginia Lawyers Weekly. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  10. ^ a b Vieth, Peter (22 September 2014). "Assembly requests recommendations for appellate judgeships". Virginia Lawyers Weekly. Virginia Lawyers Media. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  11. ^ a b "James Haley". Judgepedia. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  12. ^ "The McCammon Group, Hon. Johanna L. Fitzpatrick (Ret.)". Archived from the original on 2016-03-10. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  13. ^ "Glen A. Huff Named Chief Judge-elect of Court of Appeals of Virginia". Virginia State Bar. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  14. ^ "Judge Marla Graff Decker is elected chief judge-elect of the Virginia Court of Appeals". 3 December 2018.
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