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First African American woman to serve as Chief Justice of the VA Supreme Court

 

RICHMOND, Va. (WDBJ) – The Supreme Court of Virginia overwhelmingly elected a new Chief Justice on Tuesday, August 26, the Virginia State Bar announced.

The Honorable Cleo E. Powell was elected overwhelmingly as the first African-American woman...
The Honorable Cleo E. Powell was elected overwhelmingly as the first African-American woman chief justice of the Virginia Supreme Court.(The Virginia State Bar)

Chief Justice-elect Cleo E. Powell will be the first African-American woman to serve on the bench for the first time in the court’s history and will succeed Chief Justice S. Bernard Goodwyn, who is set to retire effective, January 1, 2026, said the bar.

Chief Justice-elect Powell was first elected by the General Assembly to the Supreme Court of Virginia in 2011 and was re-elected in 2023. Before that, she served as a judge on the Court of Appeals of Virginia, as well as the 12th Judicial Circuit Court and the Chesterfield General District Court, according to the bar.

Before the bench, she practiced labor and employment law, was corporate counsel and director of employee services for an energy company, and served as a Senior Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia, said the bar.

Chief Justice-elect Powell went to the University of Virginia for her undergrad degree and earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Her civic honors include:

  • The Virginia State Bar Young Lawyers Conference Jurist of the Year Award
  • The YMCA of Greater Richmond’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Service Award for Legacy
  • The Virginia State Bar’s Clarence M. Dunnaville Jr. Achievement Award.

Current Chief Justice Goodwyn exclaimed, “Chief Justice-elect Powell is a dedicated jurist who exemplifies integrity, civility, and professionalism, and I am confident that she will serve the Court as Chief Justice with the highest distinction.”

Chief Justice-elect Powell will assume her new role on January 1, 2026.

 

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