Virginia. Supreme Court. Office of the Executive Secretary

Leroy Rountree Hassell, Jr. (1955-2011) was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia from 2003 to 2011. He was appointed to the court in 1989. Hassell was the first African American elected chief justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia.

The chief justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia delivers an annual state of the judiciary message each May at the Virginia Judiciary Conference.

From the guide to the Chief Justice Leroy Hassell's Annual State of the Judiciary Messages, 2007-2010, (Supreme Court of Virginia Archives, Virginia State Law Library)

The Office of the Executive Secretary was established in 1952. It provides administrative support for all of the courts and magistrate offices within the Commonwealth. This includes the training and education of all judicial branch employees, as well as legal research assistance for judges.

Hubert Bennett the first person appointed to the position of Executive Secretary. He served from 1952 to 1976.

Robert N. Baldwin was Executive Secretary from 1976 to 2005.

The Judicial Council of Virginia was established by the General Assembly in 1928. It is charged with the responsibility for making a continuous study of the organization, rules and methods of procedure and practice of the judicial system of the Commonwealth. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is presiding officer for the Council whose membership includes one Court of Appeals judge, six circuit court judges, one general district court judge, one juvenile and domestic relations district court judge, two attorneys qualified to practice in the Supreme Court and the Chairmen of the Committees for Courts of Justice in the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates. Council members are appointed by the Chief Justice and serve for four years or at the pleasure of the Chief Justice.

By order of the Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia dates November 29, 1966, new rules for depositions and discovery were adopted effective February 1, 1967. Existing Rule 3:23 was repealed and replaced by new Rules 4:1 through 4:12. The new rules were substantially the same as the corresponding Federal Rules of Civil Procedure adopted in 1938.

The Court System Study Commission was created by the regular session of the 1968 General Assembly to make a full and complete study of the entire judicial system of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Justice Warren I'Anson was appointed chairman. In 1971, the commission reported to the General Assembly recommendations for changes in the organization of the court system and recommended creation of an immediate court of appeals.

At a meeting on March 28, 1994, the Judicial Council of Virginia appointed an Ad Hoc Committee for Development of a Proposal for a Study of Gender Bias in the Virginia Court System. In December 1994 the committee reported there were sufficient areas of inquiry to merit study as to justification formation of task force to study gender bias in the court system of Virginia. Committee members were Justice Elizabeth B. Lacy, Judge Robert W. Stewart, Judge John F. Daffron, Jr., Judge Suzanne K. Fulton, William G. Broaddus, and Lisa C. Germano. A task force was appointed and submitted a final report to the Judicial Council of Virginia in October 2000.

From the guide to the Office of the Executive Secretary Records, 1952-1995, (Supreme Court of Virginia Archives, Virginia State Law Library)

The Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia was created by an act of the new General Assembly in 1779. Its jurisdiction was primarily appellate, and its members were elected by the legislature. The Constitution of 1971 changed the name of the court to its present title of Supreme Court of Virginia.

In 1983, the General Assembly created an intermediate appellate court, the Court of Appeals of Virginia, effective January 1, 1985. It provides appellate review of final decisions of the circuit courts in domestic relations matters, appeals from decisions of an administrative agency, traffic infractions and criminal cases, except where a sentence of death has been imposed. It also hears appeals of final decisions of the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission. The Court of Appeals consists of eleven judges. The court sits in panels of at least three judges, and the membership of the panels is rotated. The court sits at such locations as the chief judge designates, so as to provide convenient access to the various geographic areas of the Commonwealth.

From the guide to the Audio recordings of court ceremonies, 1969-2005, (Virginia State Law Library, Supreme Court of Virginia Archives)