A Guide to the Recordings of the Virginia Supreme Court, 1969-2016
A Collection in
the Library of Virginia
Accession Number 51854
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Library of Virginia
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2016 By The Library of Virginia. All Rights Reserved.
Processed by: Paige Neal
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
Court ceremony recordings and the oral history interviews with Judge Samual Coleman and Justice Henry Whiting are restricted by the Supreme Court of Virginia. Please contact the State Law Library at (804) 786-2075 for access.
Use Restrictions
There are no restrictions.
Preferred Citation
Recordings of the Virginia Supreme Court, [cite specific recording used], Accession 51854, State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va.
Acquisition Information
Accession 51854, transferred on 28 June 2016.
Historical Information
The Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia was created by an act of the General Assembly passed at the May 1779 session and has continued to the present day. Its antecedent was the General Court, which, after it was reestablished under the constitution of 1776, shared appellate jurisdiction with the Supreme Court until 1851, when the new state constitution abolished the General Court. Prior to that date the General Court had criminal jurisdiction, while the Supreme Court was restricted to civil cases. While the court now has concurrent original jurisdiction in issuing and hearing writs of habeas corpus, mandamus and prohibition, retirement, removal, and matters of judicial censure, its jurisdiction is almost exclusively appellate. An act of the General Assembly passed on March 16, 1971 changed the name of the court to the Supreme Court of Virginia.
Justices are elected by a majority vote of both houses of the General Assembly for a term of twelve years. Vacancies on the court occuring between sessions of the General Assembly may be filled by the Governor for a term expiring thirty days after the commencement of the next session of the General Assembly. By statute, the Chief Justice is chosen by a majority vote of the seven justices.
By statute, the court may designate a retired justice to serve as Senior Justice for a renewable one year term. Senior Justices sit with the court during regular sessions hearing writs and sitting on merit cases, especially when an active member of the court is recused from hearing a particular case.
The Court of Appeals of Virginia was established on 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. Except in those cases where the decision of the Court of Appeals is final, any party aggrrieved by a decision of the Court of Appeals may petition the Supreme Court for an appeal. 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.
Biographical information related to individuals documented in this collection (in alphabetical order):
George Steven Agee served on the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2003-2008, at which time he was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Prior to that he was a judge on the Court of Appeals of Virginia, 2001-2003, and served in the House of Delegates, 1982-1994.
Judge Rosemarie Annunziata (b. 1940) served on the Court of Appeals of Virginia, 1995-2005, and as a senior judge on the court from 2005 to 2015. She was a circuit court judge in Fairfax County from 1989 to 1995.
Robert N. Baldwin was Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia from January 1, 1976, until his retirement on March 31, 2005. He was Assistant Secretary from 1974 to 1975. Robert Baldwin was born and raised in Roanoke, Virginia. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Richmond and then a law degree from the University of Richmond Law School. He served two years in the Army and taught law at the University of Richmond for two years before moving to the Supreme Court of Virginia.
David Beach was Clerk of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 1984-2003.
Judge James W. Benton, Jr. (b. 1944) was appointed to the Court of Appeals of Virginia in 1985 and retired in 2007. A native of Norfolk, Benton attended public schools there and participated in civil rights demonstrations while he was in high school. He earned an undergraduate degree from Temple University and a law degree from the University of Virginia. He worked for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in Richmond and was a partner at the Richmond law firm of Hill, Tucker Marsh prior to joining the Court of Appeals.
John Thomas (Jack) Bruce (b. 1951) became Chief Staff Attorney for the Supreme Court of Virginia in 1978. Before that, he was a clerk in the office of Robert Irons, Special Assistant to the Supreme Court of Virgina, and also practiced law in Norfolk Virginia. A native of Norfolk, he graduated from the College of William and Mary and earned a law degree from the University of Richmond.
Justice Harry Lee Carrico (1916-1913) was appointed to the Supreme Court of Virginia in 1961, and was Chief Justice, 1981-2003, when he took senior status. Before joining the court, he was a lawyer and judge in Fairfax County. Carrico was born in Washington, D.C. and reared in rural Fauquier and Fairfax counties. He was an ensign in the Navy during World War II.
Justice George M. Cochran (1912-2011) served on the Supreme Court of Virginia from 1969 to 1987. A life long resident of Staunton, he was a member of the House of Delegates,1948-1966, and the Virginia Senate, 1966-1968.
Judge Samuel W. Coleman (b. 1940) served on the Supreme Court of Appeals, 1985-2001. He served as a senior (retired) judge from 2001-2010 and 2013 to present. Coleman was born in Kingsport, TN, and grew up in Gate City, VA, where he attended public schools. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and a law degree from Washington and Lee University. He practiced law in Gate City until he was elected circuit court judge in the Thirteenth Circuit (Lee, Scott, and Wise Counties). In 1985, Coleman was elected to the first Court of Appeals of Virginia.
William T. Coleman (b. 1920) was a distinguished lawyer and lead strategist for the NAACP in the Brown v. Board of Education
case in 1954. He was president 
of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and director of the executive committee of the NAACP National Legal Committee. Coleman served
as U.S. Secretary of Transportation, 1975-1977, and was the second African American to hold a Cabinet position.
Justice A. Christian Compton (1929-2006) served on the Supreme Court of Virginia from 1975 to 2000.
Judge Walter S. Felton, Jr. (b. 1944) was appointed to the Court of Appeals of Virginia in 2002 and he retired in 2014. He served as chief judge from 2006 to 2014. A native of Suffolk, Felton attended public schools there, and college and law school at the University of Richmond. He practiced law in Suffolk, taught law at the College of William and Mary, and worked in the Office of the Attorney General and the office of Governor James S. Gilmore before he was appointed to the court.
Judge Johanna L. Fitzpatrick (b. 1946) served on the Court of Appeals of Virginia from 1992 to 2006. A native of Birmingham, Alabama, she attended Tufts University and earned a law degree from Catholic University. She began working for the Fairfax Legal Aid Society in 1974. In 1980 she was elected judge of the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court in Fairfax County, making her the second woman elected judge in Virginia. In 1982, Fitzpatrick was elected circuit court judge in Fairfax County.
Judge Robert P. Frank (b. 1944) served on the Court of Appeals of Virginia from 2005 to 2012, when he took senior status. He was born and raised in Newport News, Virginia. He earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Virginia and then practiced law with his brother in Newport News from 1968 to 1986, when he was elected judge of the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, Seventh Judicial Circuit in Newport News.
Justice S. Bernard Goodwyn was appointed to the Supreme Court of Virginia in 2007.
Judge James W. Haley, Jr. (b. 1942) served on the Court of Appeals of Virginia from 2005-2012, when he took senior status. He was born in Washington, DC and was raised in Arlington, Virginia. Haley attended Washington and Lee University and the University of Virginia School of Law. He was a law clerk for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia John W. Eggleston, 1967-1968, and then worked as an assistant commonwealth's attorney in Arlington County. He practiced law in Fredericksburg and was County Attorney for King George County. In 1985, he was elected general district judge in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, and in 1989 because a circuit court judge in the same ciruit. He was elected to the Court of Appeals of Virginia in 2005.
Justice Alexander M. Harman, Jr. (1921-1996), served on the Supreme Court of Virginia, 1969-1979. Prior to that, he worked in private practice in Pulaski, Va., and was appointed as judge of the 21st Judicial Circuit of Virginia. He was a native of West Virginia and received his undergraduate degree from Concord College and his J.D. from the Wahington and Lee School of Law.
Justice Albertis Sydney Harrison, Jr., served on the Supreme Court of Virginia, 1968-1981. Prior to that he served in the Senate of Virginia, 1948-1958; was elected Attorney General of Virginia, 1958-1961; and then Governor of Virginia, 1962-1966. He received his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.
Leroy Rountree Hassell, Sr. (1955-2011), was appointed to the Supreme Court of Virginia in 1989 and served until his death in 2011. He was elected to a four-year term as Chief Justice in 2003 and reelected in 2007. He was the first African American to serve as Chief Justice.
Judge William H. Hodges (b. 1929) served on the Court of Appeals of Virginia from 1985-1989. He was a state delegate, 1962-1966, and a state senator, 1966-1972, when he was elected as a circuit court judge. He practiced law in Norfolk and Chesapeake from 1960-1972. He continued to serve as a substitute judge after he retired in 1989.
Frederick A. Hodnett, Jr. (b. 1944) began work for the Supreme Court of Virginia as Deputy Executive Secretary in 1973 and was Assistant Executive Secretary from 1976-2006. A native of Abingdon, Virginia, he graduated from the University of Richmond and earned a law degree from the University of Virginia.
Justice Barbara Milano Keenan (b. 1950) served on the Supreme Court of Virginia from 1991 to 2010, when was confirmed as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Previously she was a judge on the Court of Appeals of Virginia from 1985 to 1991. She was the first woman to serve as a circuit and appellate court judge in Virginia.
Justice D. (Denham) Arthur Kelsey (b. 1961) has served on the Supreme Court of Virginia since 2015. Previosly he served on the Court of Appeals of Virginia from 2002-2015. He was born in Norfolk, Va., and graduated from Old Dominion University and received his law degree from the College of William and Mary.
Cynthia Dinah Fannon Kinser was appointed to the Supreme Court of Virginia in 1997. She was elected Chief Justice in 2010 and was the first woman to serve in this capacity.
Justice Lawrence L. Koontz, Jr. (b. 1940) served on the Supreme Court of Virginia from 1995 to 2011, when he took senior status. He was one of ten judges who served on the first Court of Appeals of Virginia in 1985 and served on that court until 1995. He was the second chief judge of the court, serving from 1985 to 1993. From 1976 to 1984, Koontz was a circuit court judge in the 23rd judicial circuit in Roanoke; from 1968 to 1976, he was a juvenile and domestic relations judge in the general distict court in Roanoke.
Justice Elizabeth B. Lacy (b. 1945) served on the Supreme Court of Virginia from 1989 to 2007, when she took senior status. She was the first woman to serve on the court, the first woman to serve as Deputy Attorney General in Virginia, and the first woman to as a judge on the State Corporation Commission. Lacy was born in South Carolina and grew up in Wisconsin. She worked in Texas as as an Assistant Attorney General and Division Chief (1972-1976) before moving to Virginia. She was Virginia Deputy Attorney General overseeing civil litigation (1982-1985) and Judge, State Corporation Commission (1985-1989).
Allen L. Lucy (b. 1917) was Deputy Clerk of the Supreme Court of Virgina, 1952-1977, and Clerk, 1977-1984. Before coming to the Supreme Court of Virginia, he was Deputy Clerk of the city of Richmond Law and Equity Courts. Lucy was born in Richmond, graduated from John Marshall High School in 1935, and graduated from Smithfield-Massey Business College in Richmond in 1936.
Elizabeth A. McClanahan was appointed to the Supreme Court of Virginia in 2011. Previously, she was judge on the Court of Appeals of Virginia, 2003-2011.
Henry Marsh (b. 1933) is a civil rights lawyer and politician. He joined with Samuel Tucker to form the the law firm of Tucker and Marsh in Richmond in 1954. They were later joined by Oliver Hill to form the Hill, Tucker and Marsh firm in 1965. As an attorney, Marsh focused on employment discrimination and school desegregation cases. Marsh was elected mayor of Richmond in 1977 and Virginia State Senator in 1991. He was the first African American elected mayor of Richmond. Marsh served in the U.S. Army from 1959-1961.
William T. Mason, Jr. (b. 1926) was a civil rights attorney in Norfolk who worked with civil rights attorney Oliver Hill in the 1950s and was appointed by Robert Kennedy to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Mason was one of the first African American lawyers appointed to the U.S. Attorney's Office from the South.
Leroy F. Millette was sworn in as a justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia in 2008. Prior to that he served on the Court of Appeals of Virginia, 2008 February-August.
William C. Mims was elected to the Supreme Court of Virginia on March 10, 2010. Previously he was Chief Deputy Attorney General under Attorney General Robert McDonnell, and Attorney General following McDonnell's resignation to campaign for Governor.
Judge Norman K. Moon (b. 1936) served on the Court of Appeals of Virginia, 1985-1997, and served as Chief Judge, 1993-1997. Prior to that, he worked in private practice until appointed as judge of the 24th Judicial Circuit of Virginia in 1974. He left the Court of Appeals of Virginia when appointed as Judge, U.S. District for the Western District of Virginia, where he served 1997-2010. Moon is a native of Lynchburg and received both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Virginia.
Mary Grace O'Brien joined the Court of Appeals of Virginia in 2015. Prior to that she served as a judge on the 31st Judicial Circuit of Virginia. She received her undergraduate degree from Le Moyne College and her J.D. from the Washington and Lee School of Law.
Cleo Elaine Powell was appointed to the Supreme Court of Virginia in 2011. She served on the Court of Appeals of Virginia, 2008-2011. Powell was the first African American woman appointed to an appellate court in Virginia.
Justice Charles S. Russell (b. 1926) served on the Supreme Court of Virginia from 1982 to 1981. He returned to the court as a senior justice in 2004. Russell practiced law in Arlington and Fairfax from 1951 to 1967, and was appointed judge for the 17th Judicial District in 1967. From 1967 to 1982 Russell was a circuit court judge in Fairfax County. Russell was born in Richmond, Virginia, and served in the U.S. Navy in World War I and in the Korean War.
Justice Roscoe B. Stephenson (1922-2011) served on the Supreme Court of Virginia from 1981 to 1997, when he took senior status. A lifelong resident of Covington, Va., Stephenson practiced law there and was Alleghany County Commonwealth's Attorney and a judge on the 25th judicial circuit befor his appointment to the Supreme Court.
Justice John Charles Thomas (b. 1950) served on the Supreme Court of Virginia from 1983 to 1989. He was the youngest person ever appointed to the Supreme Court of Virginia (32) and the first African American to serve on the court. A native of Norfolk, Thomas graduated from the University of Virginia law school in 1975 and worked at Hunton and Williams law firm in Richmond, where he became the first African American to be named partner in a law firm in the South. When Thomas resigned from the Supreme Court in 1989, he returned to private practice at Hunton and Williams.
Justice W. Carrington (William Carrington) Thompson (1915-2011) served on the Supreme Court of Virginia from 1980 to 1983. A native of Chatham, Virginia, he attended law school at the University of Virginia and established a law practice in Chatham after returning from service in the Navy during World War II. Thompson served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1959 to 1968 and the Virginia Senate from 1968 to 1973. He was a circuit judge before his appointment to the Supreme Court.
Judge Phillip Trompeter (b. 1952) was appointed to the Roanoke County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court in 1983. Prior to that, he worked on revisions to the Code of Virginia related to mental health issues. He was born and raised in Roanoke, Va., and attended New York University, where he received a B.A. degree in 1974. He earned a J.D. from the University of Richmond School of Law in 1977.
Justice Henry Hudson Whiting (b. 1923) served on the Supreme Court of Virginia from 1987 to 1995, when he took senior status. Whiting was born in Fort Logan, Colorado, and spent most of his youth in Winchester, Virginia. He atteneded Virginia Tech for one year before enlisting in the U.S. Army during World War II. After the war, he attended the University of Virginia and earned a law degree in 1949. He practices law in Winchester for much of his career. In 1980 Whiting was appointed to the 28th Judicial Circuit by Governor John Dalton; in 1987 he was elected by the General Assembly to the Supreme Court of Virginia.
Scope and Content
These recording include Supreme Court of Virginia and Court of Appeals of Virginia audio and video recordings of court ceremonies and oral history interviews, 1969-2015.
These recordings are available on the Library of Virginia's YouTube Channel. Click here to access: Video Recordings of the Supreme Court of Virginia .
Arrangement
This collection is arranged into the following series:
Series I. Video recordings of court ceremonies, 1991-2016 Series II. Audio recordings of court ceremonies, 1969-2005 Series III. Video recordings of Supreme Court of Virginia Oral History Interviews, 2007-2015 Series IV. Video recordings of Court of Appeals of Virginia Oral History Interviews, 2009-2015 Series V. Video recordings of miscellaneous oral history interviews, 2008-2009 Series VI. Remembrances of Chief Justice Leroy Rountree Hassell, Sr., 2011 Series VII. Memorial resolutions honoring Chief Justice Leroy Rountree Hassell, Sr., 2011 Series VIII. Miscellaneous court video recordings, 1989-2010Contents List
This series contains 26 video recordings of Supreme Court of Virginia and Court of Appeals of Virginia ceremonies, 1991-2016. Includes investitures and swearing-in ceremonies, portrait presentation ceremonies, as well as retirement and anniversary celebrations. The ceremonies took place in the courtroom in Richmond unless otherwise noted. Recordings are listed in chronological order.
Includes the following ceremonies:
Investiture of Barbara Milano Keenan as justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, Courtroom 5-E, Fairfax Judicial Center in
Fairfax, Virginia, 1991 July 2. Includes one video recording of the entire ceremony with poor audio (43 minutes) and two
segments of the television show Law Weekly (60 minutes), a production of the Fairfax County Bar Association, moderated by
Glenn C. Lewis, with highlights of the ceremony and interviews with guests. The ceremony was the first televised session
of the Supreme Court. Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico, presiding; with remarks by Raymond Diaz, 
president of the Virginia State Bar; William D. Dolan, III, past president of the Virginia State Bar; Governor L. Douglas Wilder; Speaker of the House A. L. Philpott; State Senator Edward M. Holland;
State Senator Richard L. Saslow; Retired Judge Arthur W. Sinclair; Virginia Court of Appeals Judge Johanna Fitzpatrick; and
Justice Keenan. The second segment of the recording features host Glenn Lewis interviewing guests Emilie Miller, Virginia
State Senator; Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Robert H. Horan; Chief Justice Carrico; Virginia Court of Appeals Judge
Charles H. Duff; William Dolan, Raymond Diaz, Judge Sinclair, Judge Richard T. Horan, Justice Keenan, Ann Milano, retired
Clerk Delores Testerman, Judith Wheat, and Jerry Phillips.
Investiture of Lawrence L. Koontz, Jr., as justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, Olin Hall, Roanoke College, Salem, Virginia,
1995 August 16 (49 minutes and 30 seconds). Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico, presiding; remarks by George W. Wooten; Judge
Beverly T. Fitzpatrick; Michael Smith, president of the Virginia State Bar; Delegate C. Richard Cranwell; and Justice Koontz. Invocation and benediction by Rev. R. Paul
Hendrickson, Chaplain, Roanoke College.
Investiture of Cynthia Fannon Kinser as justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, Lee High School, Jonesville, Virginia, 1997 July 8 (1 hour, 32 minutes). Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico, presiding; remarks by Governor George Allen; Senior Judge Glenn Williams, U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia; Justice Kinser, and others. The recording includes footage before and after the ceremony and the following reception.
Ceremony honoring Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico upon his retirement from full-time service on the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2003 January 1 (43 minutes, 18 seconds). Chief Justice Leroy R. Hassell, Sr., presiding; remarks by Robert N. Baldwin, Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia; and Justice Donald W. Lemons; presentation of slideshow with photographs of family and court staff. (Poor quality video recording)
Investiture of Justice Leroy R. Hassell, Sr., as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2003 February 11 (36 minutes,
41 seconds). Justice Barbara Milano Keenan, presiding; invocation and benediction by George Martin; remarks by Governor Mark
Warner; Speaker of the House of Delegates, William Howell; Bernard DiMuro, president of the Virginia State Bar; Colonel George B. Mason, Jr., Virginia Capitol Police; Justice Keenan; and Chief Justice Hassell.
A transcript of the ceremony is published in 265 Virginia Reports, vii-xviii.
Swearing-in ceremony of Justice Leroy R. Hassell, Sr., as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2003 February 11 (45 seconds). Justice Barbara M. Keenan administering the oath of office, with Chief Justice Hassell's wife, Linda Hassell, holding the Bible.
Investiture of G. Steven Agee as justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, recorded at Roanoke College in Salem, Va., 2003 March 5 (1 hour, 5 minutes, and 35 seconds). Chief Justice Leroy R. Hassel, Sr., presiding; remarks by State Senator Charles Hawkins, Delegate Robert McDonnell, Attorney General Jerry Kilgore, Delegate Lacy Putney, and Justice Agee.
Ceremony honoring David Beach upon his retirement from the position of Clerk, Supreme Court of Virginia, 2003 June 1 (47 minutes). Chief Justice leroy R. Hassell, Sr., presiding; remarks by Senior Justice Harry L. Carrico; U.S. District Court Judge John A. Gibney; Justice Elizabeth B. Lacy; Trish Harrington, Clerk, Supreme Court of Virginia; Robert N. Baldwin, Executive Secretary, Supreme Court of Virginia; and David Beach. (Video in two parts)
Ceremony commemorating the 225th anniversary of the establishment of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2004 December 9 (41 minutes,
48 seconds). Chief Justice Leroy R. Hassell, Sr., presiding; invocation by William G. Broaddus; remarks by Governor Mark
Warner; Lt. Governor Timothy Kaine; Attorney General Jerry Kilgore; Senator Kenneth Stolle, Chair, Court of Justice Committee;
Speaker of the House J. Morgan Griffith; David B. Bobzien, President of the Virginia State Bar; and Chief Justice Hassell.
Ceremony honoring Robert N. Baldwin upon his retirement from the position of Executive Secretary, Supreme Court of Virginia, 2005 March 24 (1 hour, 11 minutes, 51 seconds). Chief Justice Leroy R. Hassell, Sr., presiding; remarks by Bill Howell, Speaker of the House; Chief Judge, Court of Appeals of Virginia, Johanna Fitzpatrick; James Ullman, former chair, House Courts Committee; Retired Judge J.R. Zepkin, Judge Phillip Trompeter, and Larry Palmer, Clerk, Lynchburg Circuit Court. (Video in two parts)
Portrait presentation ceremony honoring Supreme Court of Virginia Justices Harry L. Carrico, A. Christian Compton, Roscoe B. Stephenson, and Charles Russell, 2006 February 28 (28 minutes, 8 seconds). Chief Justice Leroy R. Hassell, Sr., presiding. A transcript of the ceremony is published in 271 Virginia Reports, p. ix-xii.
Ceremony commemorating the 230th anniversary of the enactment of Virginia's first constitution, 2006 November 2 (46 minutes,
35 seconds). Chief Justice Leroy R. Hassell, Sr., presiding; remarks by Lt. Governor William Bolling; Attorney General Robert
F. McDonnell; Speaker of the House William Howell; President of the Senate John H. Chichester; State Senator Benjamin Lambert; Karen A. Gould, President of the Virginia State Bar; Governor Tim Kaine; and Chief Justice Hassell.
Swearing-in ceremony of Chief Justice Leroy R. Hassell, Sr., for his second term as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2007 Feb 1 (16 minutes, 64 seconds). Oath administered by Justice Barbara Kennan.
Swearing-in ceremony of S. Bernard Goodwyn as justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2007 October 10 (12 minutes, 48 seconds). Chief Justice Leroy R. Hassell, Sr., administering the oath of office to Goodwyn, who is accompanied by his wife, Sharon Smith Goodwyn, and his two children. Brief remarks by Chief Justice Hassell, and greetings from Senior Justices Elizabeth Lacy and Charles Russell; Executive Secretary Karl Hade; and Patricia Harrington, Clerk.
Investiture of LeRoy F. Millette, Jr., as judge on the Court of Appeals of Virginia, 2008 February 22, Manassas, Virginia. (44 minutes, 57 seconds). Chief Judge William S. Fenton, Jr., presiding; remarks by Paul B. Ebert, Prince William County Commonwealth's Attorney; State Senator Charles Colgan (presenting commission); William G. Petty, Judge, Court of Appeals of Virginia; Robert J. Zelnick; John D. McGaven; and Justice Millette.
Investiture of LeRoy F. Millette, Jr., as justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2008 September 5 (2 hours, 7 minutes).
Chief Justice Leroy R. Hassell, Sr., presiding; invocation by Delegate Robert G. Marshall; remarks by State Senator Henry
L. Marsh, III; Manuel A. Capsalis, President of the Virginia State Bar; Delegate Jackson H. Miller; Delegate Jennifer L. McClellan; Governor Timothy M. Kaine; State Senator
Charles J. Colgan; and Justice Millette. Benediction by Delegate Ward L. Armstrong. A transcript of the ceremony is published
in 276 Virginia Reports, xi-xxii.
Investiture of Cleo Elaine Powell as judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia, 2008 November 17 (48 minutes, 21 seconds). Chief Judge Walter S. Felton, Jr., presiding; remarks by State Senator Henry Marsh; First Lady Anne B. Holton; Governor Tim Kaine; Chief Justice Leroy R. Hassell, Sr.; and Judge Powell.
Investiture of William C. Mims as justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2010 April 9 (1 hour, 10 minutes). Chief Justice leroy R. Hassell, Sr., presiding; invocation by Stephen R. McCullough; remarks by State Senator Thomas K. Norment, Jr.; State Senator Richard L. Saslaw; Mark E. Rubin; Jon D. Huddleston, on behalf of the statwide bar associations from Virginia; Speaker of the House William J. Howell; Govenor Robert F. McDonnell; Courney M. Malveaux; Judge Dean S. Worcester; Justice Mims; and Attorney General Mark L. Earley. A transcript of the ceremony is published in 279 Virginia Reports, xxv-xivi.
Investiture of Justice Cynthia D. F. Kinser as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2011 February 16 (47 minutes). Justice Donald W. Lemons, presiding; remarks by Governor Robert F. McDonnell; Senior Justice Elizabeth B. Lacy; and Chief Justice Kinser. A transcript of the ceremony is published in 281 Virginia Reports, xi-xxiv.
Investiture of Elizabeth A. McClanahan as justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2011 September 1 (46 minutes, 28 seconds). Chief Justice Cynthia Kinser, presiding; invocation by Reverend Betty C. Reiff; remarks by Retired Chief Judge of the Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia, Johanna L. Fitzpatrick; State Senator William C. Wampler, Jr.; Delegate Terry G. Kilgore; Governor Robert F. McDonnell; former Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore; Hon. Joseph P. Johnson, Jr.; benediction by Reverend Walter P. Weikel.
Investiture of Justice Donald W. Lemons as Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Virginia, 2015 Jan 8, Supreme Court, Richmond
(54 minutes, 14 minutes). Justice S. Bernard Goodwyn, presiding. Remarks by the Hon. William Howell, Speaker of the House
of Delegates; Hon. Walter Stosch, President Pro Tem of the Senate of Virginia; Governor Terrence McAuliffe; Senior Justice Charles S. Russell; and Kevin Martingayle,
President of the Virginia State Bar. Transcript published in 289 Va. Reports.
Special session of the Supreme Court of Virginia commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Court of Appeals of Virginia, 2015
Apr 14 (47 minutes, 15 seconds). Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons, presiding. All justices and judges of the two courts in
attendance. Remarks by Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia, Glen A. Huff; Kevin Martingayle, President of the Virginia State Bar; retired Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia, Johanna L. Fitzpatrick; and John G. Douglass,
University of Richmond law professor. Transcript published in 290 Va. Reports.
Investiture of Wesley G. Russell, Jr., as judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia, 2015 May 19 (43 minutes, 49 seconds). Chief Judge Glen A. Huff, presiding. Innvocation by Rev. Dr. John Peters. Remarks by Delegate John M. O'Bannon, III; State Senator Walter Stosch; Ken Cuccinelli; and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, Donald W. Lemons.
Special session of the Supreme Court of Virginia commemorating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the Old Dominion
Bar Association (ODBA), 2015 May 28 (49 minutes, 49 seconds). Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons, presiding. Remarks by Attorney
General Mark Herring and the Hon. L. Douglas Wilder, as well as immediate past president of the ODBA, Vinceretta Taylor Chiles and current ODBA president Helivi Holland, who also presented various awards. Transcript published in Va. Reports 290.
Investiture of Mary Grace O'Brien as judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia, 2015 June 5 (46 minutes, 46 seconds). Ceremony held at the Prince William Courthouse in Manassas, Va., Chief Judge Glen A. Huff, presiding. Remarks by the Hon. E. Allan Newcomb, Esq.; Hon. Charles J. Colgan, Senate of Virginia; Hon. Jackson H. Miller, House of Delegates; John D. Wittington, Esq.; Kevin F. Casey, Esq.; with the oath administered by Herman A. Whisenant, Jr., Retired Judge, 31st Judicial Circuit.
Investiture of D. Arthur Kelsey as justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2016 Mar 6 (51 minutes, 35 seconds). Chief Justice
Donald W. Lemons, presiding. Innvocation by Judge Rossie P. Alston, Jr., Court of Appeals of Virginia. Remarks by Governor
Terrence McAuliffe; State Senator Tommy Norment; Delegate Chris Jones; and Walter Tayor Reveley, III, President of William and Mary.
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Investiture of Barbara Milano Keenan as justice of the Virginia Supreme Court, 1991 July 2 .
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Investiture of Lawrence L. Koontz, Jr., as justice of the Virginia Supreme Court, 1995 August 16 .
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Investiture of Cynthia Fannon Kinser as justice of the Virginia Supreme Court, 1997 July 8 .
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Ceremony honoring Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico upon his retirement from full-time service, 2003 January 1 .
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Investiture of Justice Leroy R. Hassell, Sr., as Chief Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court, 2003 February 11 .
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Swearing-in ceremony of Justice Leroy R. Hassell, Sr., as Chief Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court, 2003 February 11 .
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Investiture of G. Steven Agee as justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2003 March 5 .
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Ceremony honoring David Beach upon his retirement from the position of Clerk, Supreme Court of Virginia, 2003 June 1 .
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Ceremony commemorating the 225th anniversary of the establishment of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2004 December 9 .
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Ceremony honoring Robert N. Baldwin upon his retirement from the position of Executive Secretary, Supreme Court of Virginia, 2005 March 24 .
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Portrait presentation ceremony honoring Harry L. Carrico, A. Christian Compton, Roscoe B. Stephenson, and Charles Russell, 2006 February 28 .
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Ceremony commemorating the 230th anniversary of the enactment of Virginia's first constitution, 2006 November 2 .
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Swearing-in ceremony of Chief Justice Leroy R. Hassell, Sr., for his second term as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2007 Feb 1 .
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Swearing-in ceremony of S. Bernard Goodwyn as judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia, 2007 October 10 .
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Investiture of LeRoy F. Millette as judge on the Court of Appeals of Virginia, 2008 February 22 .
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Investiture of LeRoy F. Millette as justice on the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2008 September 5 .
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Investiture of Cleo Elaine Powell as judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia, 2008 November 17 .
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Investiture of William C. Mims as justice on the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2010 April 9 .
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Investiture of Justice Cynthia D. F. Kinser as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2011 February 16 .
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Investiture of Elizabeth A. McClanahan as justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2011 September 1 .
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Investiture of Justice Donald W. Lemons as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2015 Jan 8 .
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Special session of the Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia commemorating the 30th anniversary of the court, 2015 Apr 14 .
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Investiture of Wesley G. Russell, Jr., as judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia, 2015 May 19 .
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Special session of the Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Old Dominion Bar Association, 2015 May 28 .
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Investiture of Mary Grace O'Brien as judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia, 2015 June 5 .
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Investiture of D. Arthur Kelsey as justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2016 Mar 6 .
This series contains audio recordings of Supreme Court of Virginia ceremonies, 1969-2005; and Court of Appeals of Virginia ceremonies, 1985-1989. Includes investitures, swearing-in ceremonies, portrait presentations, and other ceremonies. The events took place in the courtrooms of the Supreme Court of Virginia and the Court of Appeals of Virginia in Richmond. Recordings are listing in chronological order.
This series includes the following audio files:
Investitures of George M. Cochran and Alexander M. Harmon as justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia and swearing-in of Justice Harold Snead as Chief Justice, 1969 October 1 (24 minutes). Remarks by Justice W. I'Anson honoring Chief Justice Snead; Chief Justice Snead, presiding over investitures; remarks by Howard C. Gilmer, Harmon's former law partner.
Investiture of Richard H. Poff as justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 1972 August 30 (11 minutes, 49 seconds). Chief Justice Harold Snead, presiding; remarks by former Governor William M. Tuck and the Hon. Lewis F. Powell, Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court.
Ceremony commemorating the bicentennial of the founding of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 1979 August 30 (29 minutes). Chief Justice Lawrence W. I'Anson, presiding; remarks by Governor John Dalton; Chief Justice I'Anson; and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell, Jr., read by his son Lewis Powell, III. The ceremony includes the presentation of the portrait of Henry Tazewell, who served on the court from 1785 to 1788 and 1793 to 1794. A transcript of the ceremony is published in 220 Virginia Reports, p. ix.
Portrait presentation for Supreme Court of Virginia Justice Archibald B. Buchanan, 1980 April 17 (14 minutes, 22 seconds). Chief Justice I'Anson, presiding; remarks by Justice Alexander Harmon. A transcript of the ceremony is published in 223 Virginia Reports, p. xi.
Investiture of Roscoe B. Stephenson as justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 1981 March 2 (23 minutes). Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico, presiding; remarks by William S. Moffatt, Chief Judge, 25th Judicial Circuit; presentation of resolutions honoring Stephenson.
Dedication of the Supreme Court of Virginia Building, 1981 Dec 4 (35 minutes, 18 seconds). Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico, presiding; remarks by Delegate George Allen, Jr.; State Senator Edward E. Willey; Governor John Dalton; and Chief Justice Carrico.
Portrait presentation for retired Supreme Court of Virginia Chief Justice Harold Snead, 1982 June 16 (50 minutes, 38 seconds). Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico, presiding; remarks by William B. Poff; former Chief Justice Lawrence W. I'Anson; and Governor Charles S. Robb. A transcript of the ceremony in published in 223 Virginia Reports, p. xix.
Investiture of John Charles Thomas as justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 1983 April 25 (34 minutes, 28 seconds). Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico, presiding; remarks by Governor Charles S. Robb; T.S. Ellis, III; Dennis C. Montgomery; and Justice Thomas; presentation of resolutions honoring Thomas. John Charles Thomas was the first African-American to serve on the Supreme Court of Virginia.
Portrait presentation for retired Supreme Court of Virginia Chief Justice Lawrence W. I'Anson, 1983 June 15 (45 minutes, 14 seconds). Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico, presiding; remarks by Governor John Dalton; Virginia Senator Edward E. Willey; former Governor Mills E. Godwin; and others. A transcript of the ceremony is published in 225 Virginia Reports, p. vii.
Portrait presentation for ceremony for Supreme Court of Virginia Justice Albertis S. Harrison, Jr., 1984 Oct 12, recorded at the Supreme Court in Richmond (53 minutes, 3 seconds). Address by Governor Mills Godwin. Transcript published in Va. Reports (228 Va., xxxv).
Swearing-in ceremony for the first judges on the Court of Appeals of Virginia, 1985 January 4 (30 minutes, 4 seconds). Chief
Judge E. Ballard Baker, presiding; remarks by William D. Dolan, III, President of the Virginia State Bar; Harry L. Carrico, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia; Edward Willey, President Pro Tempore, Senate of Virginia; Delegate Theodore V. Marsden, Jr.; and Governor Charles S. Robb.
Swearing-in ceremony for Elizabeth B. Lacy, Judge, State Corporation Commission, 1985 April 1 (18 minutes). Harry L. Carrico, Chief Justice Supreme Court, Supreme Court of Virginia, presiding; remarks by Governor Charles S. Robb; Judge Thomas P. Harwood, Jr., member, State Corporation Commission; Commissioner Lacy; and Attorney General Gerald S. Baliles. Commission read by G. Patrick Lacy.
Portrait presentation for E. Ballard Baker, first Chief Judge, Court of Appeals of Virginia, 1986 May 5 (19 minutes). Chief
Judge Lawrence Koontz, presiding; remarks by Chief Judge Koontz; Governor Gerald L. Baliles; Harry L. Carrico, Chief Justice,
Supreme Court of Virginia; James C. Roberts, Past President of the Virginia State Bar; and Billy Jane Baker, widow of Judge Baker.
Portrait presentation ceremony for Supreme Court of Virginia Justice Alexander M. Harman, Jr., 1987 Oct 5, recorded at the Supreme Court in Richmond (45 minutes, 35 seconds). Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico, presiding; speakers include Pulaski Mayor Gary C. Hancock and Justice Albertis S. Harrison, Jr. Transcript available.
Investiture of Elizabeth B. Lacy as justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 1989 January 4 (25 minutes, 52 seconds). Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico, presiding; invocation and benediction by William G. Broaddus; remarks by Governor Gerald L. Balilies and Justice Lacy; presentation of resolutions honoring Lacy. Elizabeth B. Lacy was the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court of Virginia.
Portrait presentation for retired Supreme Court Justice George M. Cochran, 1989 April 20 (50 minutes). Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico, presiding; remarks by former Governor and retired justice Albertis S. Harrison; former Governor Mills E. Godwin; retired Chief Justice Lawrence W. I'Anson; and others. A transcript of the ceremony is published in 238 Virginia Reports, p. ix.
Swearing-in ceremony for Jere H. Willis as Judge, Court of Appeals of Virginia, and recognition of the service of retiring Judge William H. Hodges, 1989 October 26 (22 minutes, 4 seconds, partially inaudible). Chief Judge Koontz, presiding.
Investiture of Leroy Rountree Hassell, Sr., as justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 1989 Dec 28 (26 minutes, 30 seconds). Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico, presiding; remarks by Governor Gerald L. Baliles and Justice Hassell; presentation of resolutions honoring Hassell.
Special court session to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the federal judiciary, 1990 Jan 12, recorded
at the Supreme Court of Virginia (23 minutes, 21 seconds). Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico, presiding; speakers include Hon.
Mary Sue Terry, Attorney General of Virginia; Philip B. Morris, President of the Virginia Stat Bar; and James H. Michael, Jr., U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Virginia.
Presentation of Senate Joint Resolution No. 154 commending Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 1990 Apr 16 (6 minutes, 45 seconds). Presented by Virginia State Senator Edward M. Holland, Chairman of the Courts Justice Committee. SJR 154 was agreed to by the Senate, 1990 Mar 8, and by the House of Delegates, 1990 Mar 9. Published in Virginia Reports (239 Va., xi).
Investiture of Donald W. Lemons as justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2000 April 3 (45 minutes). Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico, presiding; remarks by State Senator Walter Stosch; Governor James S. Gilmore; and Justice Lemons; presentation of resolutions honoring Lemons.
Portrait presentation for Supreme Court Justices Richard H. Poff, W. Carrington Thompson and Henry Hudson Whiting, 2005 November 1 (11 minutes, 37 seconds). Chief Justice Leroy Hassell, presiding. A transcript of the ceremony is published in 271 Virginia Reports, p. ix.
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Investitures of George M. Cochran and Alexander M. Harman as justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia and swearing-in of Justice Harold Snead as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 1969 Oct 1 .
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Investiture of Richard H. Poff as justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 1972 Aug 30 .
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Ceremony commemorating the bicentennial of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 1979 Aug 30 .
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Portrait presentation for Supreme Court of Virginia Justice Archibald B. Buchanan, 1980 Apr 17 .
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Investiture of Roscoe B. Stephenson as justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 1981 Mar 2 .
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Dedication of the Supreme Court of Virginia Building, 1981 Dec 4 .
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Portrait presentation for retired Supreme Court of Virginia Chief Justice Harold Snead, 1982 June 16 .
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Investiture of John Charles Thomas as Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 1983 Apr 25 .
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Portrait presentation for retired Supreme Court of Virginia Justice Lawrence W. I'Anson, 1983 June 15 .
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Portrait presentation for retired Supreme Court of Virginia Justice Albertis S. Harrison, Jr., 1984 Oct 12 .
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Swearing-in ceremony for the first judges on the Court of Appeals of Virginia, 1985 Jan 4 .
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Swearing-in ceremony for Elizabeth B. Lacy, Judge, State Corportion Commission, 1985 Apr 1 .
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Portrait presentation for E. Baker Ballard, first Chief Judge, Court of Appeals of Virginia, 1986 May 5 .
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Portrait presentation for Supreme Court of Virginia Justice Alex M. Harman, Jr., 1987 Oct 5 .
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Investiture of Elizabeth B. Lacy as justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 1989 Jan 4 .
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Portrait presentation for retired Supreme Court George M. Cochran, 1989 Apr 20 .
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Swearing-in ceremony for Jere H. Willis as Judge, Court of Appeals of Virginia, and recognition of the service of retiring Judge William H. Hodges, 1989 Oct 16 .
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Investiture of Leroy Rountree Hassell, Sr., as justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 1989 Dec 28 .
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Special court session to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the federal judiciary, 1990 Jan 12 .
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Presentation of SJR 154 commending Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico, 1990 Apr 16 .
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Investiture of Donald W. Lemons as justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2000 Apr 3 .
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Portrait presentation for Supreme Court Justices Richard H. Poff, W. Carrington Thompson, and Henry Hudson Whiting, 2005 Nov 1 .
This series includes 16 video recordings of oral history interviews with retired Supreme Court of Virginia justices and other Supreme Court of Virginia staff members. The interviews were conducted for the Supreme Court of Virginia Historical Commission beginning in 2007. The Supreme Court of Virginia Historical Advisory Committee (formerly Commission) was established in 2006 to preserve and promote the history of the court. Oral history interviews of retired Supreme Court justices, Court of Appeals judges, other individuals associated with the court, and civil rights attorneys were begun in 2007 and the project is ongoing. Interviews are listed in alphabetical order.
Includes the following oral history interviews:
Oral history interview with Robert N. Baldwin, retired Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia, by Norfolk State Professor of History Cassandra Newby-Alexander at the National Center for State Courts in Williamsburg, Va., 2010 May 14 (2 hours, 59 minutes, transcript available). Baldwin talks about his parents, growing up in Roanoke, Virginia, and attending college and law school at the University of Richmond. He discusses being the ROTC program and working for the army in northern Virginia for two years, starting a family, and teaching at the University of Richmond Law School for two years before being recruited for the position of Assistant Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia. Baldwin talks about the I'Anson Commission, which proposed a reorganization of the Virginia court system, the transition from Hubert Bennett (Executive Secretary, 1952-1976) and his appointment as Exeutive Secretary on January 1, 1976. He discusses his working relationship with Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico, his management style, planning for administrative changes, the implementation of automation technology, and uniform practice and procedures in courts across the state. Baldwin discusses working with the Committee on District Courts, the Courts of Justices Committee and Speaker of the the House of Delegates A.L. Philpott on legislative initiatives for the judiciary, in particular the establishment of the Court of Appeals in 1985. He also discusses working with the National Center for State Courts, the origins of the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission, and a study by the Commission on the Future of the Court System, 1987-1989.
Oral history interview with Robert N. Baldwin, retired Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia, by Norfolk State
Professor of History Cassandra Newby-Alexander at the Supreme Court of Virginia Building, 2010 May 21 (1 hour, 67 minutes,
two parts, transcript available). Baldwin begins by talking about changes in the court system during his tenure, particularly
increasing diversity and training to raise awareness among staff and judges of racial and gender biases. He discusses the
creation of a gender bias task force, working on sentencing guidelines, and elaborates on the Commission on the Future of
the Courts System, chaired by University of Virginia president Robert O'Neil, and unsuccessful efforts to create and family court in Virginia. He discusses the growth in the field of
mediation, development of alternative dispute resolution services, judicial planning and research for the court system, and
both the Conference of State Administrators and the Conference of Chief Justices. In the second part of the interview, Baldwin
talks about his working relationships with Chief Justince Carrico and Chief Justice Leroy Hassell. He reflects on Hassell's
more hand-on administrative style and his approach to working with the legislature. Baldwin also talks about outreach and
education initiatives during Hassell's tenure, including the Journey to Justice K-12 education program. Toward the end of
the interview, Baldwin reflects on his decision to retire and going to work at the National Center for State Courts, and his
thoughts about his accomplishments and disappointments as Executive Secretary.
Oral history interview with John Thomas (Jack) Bruce, Chief Staff Attorney for the Supreme Court of Virginia, by Norfolk State University Professor of History Cassandra Newby-Alexander, at the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2013 Oct 11 (1 hour, 47 minutes, transcript available). Bruce talks about growing up among his mother's extended family in Norfolk, Virginia, and about his education and career as an attorney in the Office of the Chief Staff Attorney for the Supreme Court of Virginia, first as a law clerk after graduating from law school, and then as Chief Staff Attorney, 1978-2003. He discusses working with his predecessor Robert Irons, Special Assistant to the Supreme Court of Virginia, until his sudden death in 1978. He also talks about working with Chief Justice Harry Carrico, Justice A. Christian Compton, and Justice Richard H. Poff, all of whom were based in Richmond, and about changes he witnessed since he began working at the court in 1978.
Oral history interview with Justice Harry L. Carrico by Arlington County Circuit Court Judge Joanne Alper, 2007 April 23 (75 minutes, transcript available at the Supreme Court of Virginia). Justice Carrico discusses changes he witnessed during his long tenure on the court, his experiences as a young lawyer and judge in northern Virginia (Alexandria, and Fairfax and Prince William counties) in the 1940s and 1950s, his work on the Judicial Conference of the U.S. and his relationships with U.S. Supreme Court Justices Warren Burger and William Rehnquist. Toward the end of the interview, he reflects on his relationships with the justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia when he was appointed in 1961, his workflow and opinion-writing process, the creation of the Office of the Executive Secretary (court administrator), and the appointments of the first African American and women justices to the court.
Oral history interview with Justice Harry L. Carrico by Norfolk State Professor of History Cassandra Newby-Alexander, 2007 November 28 (1 hour, 57 minutes; transcript available at the Supreme Court of Virginia). Justice Carrico discusses his family and early life on a dairy farm in rural Fairfax County, his father's work as a billboard artist for the General Outdoor Advertising Company and his business operating a riding stable. He recalls going to a combined grade school and high school in Bailey's Crossroads and attending Lee-Jackson High School in Fairfax County, and working and attending law school in Washington, D.C. He discusses his experience working in contract terminations in the Navy during world War II, his work as a lawyer and judge in Fairfax County before and after the war, and his appointment to the Supreme Court of Virginia 1961. Toward the end of the interview, Carrico talks about the process of writing opinions, and his decision in Loving v. Commonwealth of Virginia, which upheld the state statute barring interracial marriage in 1967. He reflects on the changes in the court during his tenure, including the appointment of the first African American and women justices, and his recollections of the justices who were on the court when he was appointed in 1961 (Chief Justice John Eggleston, Justice L. Warren I'Anson, Justice Claude V. Spratley, Justice Harold S. Snead). The interview ends with a discussion of Carrico's work for the John Marshall Foundation and his thoughts about the historical importance of Marshall's contributions to the judiciary.
Oral history interview with Justice George M. Cochran by Norfolk State Professor of History Cassandra Newby-Alexander, 2007 March 30 (1 hour, 56 minutes; transcript available at the Supreme Court of Virginia). Justice Cochran talks about his family's roots in Staunton, his ancestor Alexander H.H. Stuart and Stuart's political career before and after the Civil War. He reflects on his early life in Staunton, his education at Episcopal High School in Alexandria and at the University of Virginia, and his service in the navy in California and the Pacific during World War II. He discusses being a state legislator during the 1950s and 1960s and efforts by a younger general of legislators to repeal the poll tax and segregation laws after World War II. Cochran also reflects on Massive Resistance and working to establish a community college system in Virginia. He talks about working with fellow state legislators Armistead Booth, Mosby G. Perrow, Tayloe Murphy, Mills Godwin and Albertis Harrison, and Governor Colgate Darden and Governor Lindsay Almond. Toward the end of the interview, Cochran talks about his appointment to the Supreme Court of Virginia, his friendship with Albertis Harrison when they were both on the court, his thoughts about dissenting from the majority, and making the transition from writing legal briefs to writing judicial opinions. The interview concludes with Cochran's recollections about organizing meetings of the Virginia State Bar Association in England and Scotland, the appointment of the first African Ameerican and women justices to the court, and socializing with other out-of-town justices at the John Marshall Hotel in Richmond.
Oral history inerview with Frederick A. Hodnett, Jr., Assistant Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia, by Norfolk State University Professor of History Cassandra Newby-Alexander, at the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2014 June 3 (2 hours, 35 minutes; transcript available). Hodnett talks about his family and childhood in Dublin, Virginia, and about his education at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia, undergraduate studies at the University of Richmond, and law school at the University of Virginia. He discusses his military service as a translator during the Vietnam War and his long career as a deputy court administrator. He discusses being hired by Hubert Bennett, Executive Secretary (court administrator), 1952-1975, and working for Robert Baldwin, Executive Secretary, 1976-2005. Hodnett also reflects on changes in the court system with passage of the Court Reorganization Act that took effet July 1, 1973, his work with judges statewide during his career, and working under Chief Justices Harry Carrico and Leroy Hassell, Sr.
Oral history interview with Judge Barbara Milano Keenan by Norfolk State Professor of History Cassandra Newby-Alexander, 2013 June 6 (2 hours, 38 minutes; transcript available at the Supreme Court of Virginia). Judge Keenan talks about her family's history and the influence of their experiences as immigrants in West Virginia in the early twentieth century, attending Catholic high school in Arlington, Virginia, and college at Cornell University during the 1960s; and working at the U.S. Department of Justice while attending Law School at George Washington University. She discusses her early career as an assistant commonwealth's attorney in Fairfax, and her service on the Court of Appeals of Virginia, the Supreme Court of Virginia and the Fourth Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals. She also reflects on the experience of being among the first women judges in Virginia and the influences of mentors and colleagues throughout her career.
Oral history interview with Justice Lawrence L. Koontz, Jr., by Gail Warren, State Law Librarian, 2013 May 17 (55 minutes; transcript available at the Supreme Court of Virginia). Justice Koontz talks about growing up in Salem, Virginia, attending Virginia Tech and law school at the University of Richmond, and his early years as a lawyer, commonwealth's attorney, and judge in Roanoke. He reflects on the experience of forming rules and procedures for the Court of Appeals of Virginia, serving on the Supreme Court of Virginia, and changes in the legal profession and the judiciary during his career.
Oral history interview with Justice Elizabeth B. Lacy by Norfolk State Professor of History Cassandra Newby-Alexander, 2008 Sept 15 (1 hour, 56 minutes; transcript available at the Supreme Court of Virginia). Justice Lacy talks about growing up in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where her parents owned a business in the 1950s; her education at Catholic schools in Oshkosh and St. Mary's College at Notre Dame; and attending law school at the University of Texas in Austin. She talks about her early legal career working for the Texas Legislative Council and the Texas Attorney General's office, where she became the first woman division chief. She reflects on the political atmosphere in Texas when she was in law school and in the early years of her legal career, and the influence of women such as Barbara Jordan, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Sarah Weddinton, and others who were elected to public office in Texas in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In the second part of the interview, Justice Lacy recounts moving to Virginia in the late 1970s, her work as Deputy Attorney General under Attorney General Gerald Baliles, her appointment to the State Corporation Commission in 1985 and her work there, and her subsequent appointment to the Supreme Court of Virginia in 1989. The interview ends with Lacy's reflections on her early experiences on the court and changes in the court during her tenure.
Oral history interview with Allen L. Lucy, Clerk of the Supreme Court of Virginia (retired), by Norfolk State University Professor of History Cassandra Newby-Alexander at Gloucester House, Gloucester, Virginia, 2009 June 11 (1 hour, 28 minutes; transcript available). In the interview, Lucy talks about his parents and siblings, and growing up in the Barton Heights neighborhood in the 1920s and 1930s; meeting his wife and starting a family. He also dicusses he education in Richmond public schools, looking for work in Richmond during the Depression, and finding work at the City of Richmond Law and Equity Courts in 1935. He reflects on the atmosphere among staff working at the Supreme Court of Virginia in the 1950s, when the court was deliberating a large number of civil rights cases, his thoughts on segregation and integration, and his interactions with attorneys on both sides of the issue. He recalls one evening when he worked until the very early hours of the morning in order to record a large number of petitions filed by civil rights attorney Oliver Hill. Toward the end of the interview Lucy talks about the nature of his work as deputy clerk and clerk, his relationships with the justices, and the pressures, for both the justices and the staff, of managing the caseload of the court and meeting deadlines. He emphasizes the sense of pride and gratitude he felt for having had the opportunity to for the court and with the justices.
Oral history interview with Justice Charles S. Russell by Arlington County Circuit Court Judge Joanne Alper, 2007 April 23 (1 hour, 8 minutes; transcript available at the Supreme Court of Virginia). Justice Russell talks about his experience as a circuit court judge in Arlington County and his tenure on the Supreme Court of Virginia. He discusses his election to the court by one vote in 1982 and reflects on the changes in the Virginia judiciary during his tenure as a justice, particularly a greater acceptance of dissent and declining deference toward older justices. Russell also talks about the colorful personalities he remembers from his early years as a member of the Arlington County bar. Russell also reflects on memorable cases and historical events during his career. The interview closes with Russell's recollection of watching the attack on the Pentagon from his office window in Arlington in Arlington on September 11, 2001, and his thoughts about the lasting impact of the event.
Oral history interview with Justice Roscoe B. Stephenson by Norfolk State Professor of History Cassandra Newby-Alexander, 2007 Apr 30 (1 hour, 27 minutes; transcript available at the Supreme Court of Virginia). Justice Stephenson talks about his parents and siblings and growing up in Covington, Virginia, where his father was a lawyer. He recalls attending Washingtong and Lee University as an undergraduate and working on a construction project in Hampton and a steamer out of Baltimore during the break between college and law school after he was discharged from the army on account of aheart murmer. Stephenson recalls that he was only one of two students attending law school at Washington and Lee University in 1945 because of World War II. He talks of returning to Covington after law school, practicing law there with his father in the 1950s, and being Commonwealth's Attorney and circuit court judge in Alleghany County. Stephenson reflects on changes in the judiciary beginning in the 1970s, particularly the increase of women in the profession and the appointment of Elizabeth Lacy to the court as the first female justice in 1989. In the second part of the interview, Stephenson talks about his approach to writing opinions and about cases that were particularly memorable. He discusses the use of DNA evidence in the Spencer v. Commonwealth case, other death penalty cases, and cases involving the rights to mine coal and gas. The interview closes with Stephenson's recollections of his relationships with other justices and law clerks, and memories of socializing with out-of-town justices at the John Marshall Hotel in Richmond when the court was in session.
Oral history interview with Justice John Charles Thomas by Norfolk State Professor of History Cassandra Newby-Alexander, 2007 Aug 8 (2 hours, 21 minutes; transcript avaialable at the Supreme Court of Virginia). Justice Thomas discusses his family's roots in the Huntersville neighborhood of Norfolk, growing up in segregated Norfolk, and the influence on him of his parents, grandparents, extended family, community, school and church. He recalls his maternal grandfather, who taught him to recite poetry when he was a young boy, and the minister of the First Baptist Church. He talks about his decision to attend Maury High School, a predominately white high school in Norfolk, in 1965, and his experiences as a student there; and attending the University of Virginia. Thomas also reflects on clerking for the Civil Right Division of the Justice Department one summer when he was a law student, and how this experience helped him in his efforts to secure a position at a large law firm in Virginia after he graduated. He recounts his early years working at the Richmond law firm Hunton and Williams, where he did legal work for Virginia Electric and Power Company, and becoming the first African American lawyer to make partner at a white law firm in the South. Toward the end of the interview, Justice Thomas discusses his appointment fo the Supreme Court of Virginia and being the first African American appointed to the court. He reflects on differneces between himself and the other justices, in style, training and age. The interview closes with Thomas' thoughts on memorable opinions.
Oral history interview with Justice W. Carrington Thompson by Norfolk State Professor of History Cassandra Newby-Alexander, 2007 November 14 (1 hour, 32 minutes; transcript available at the Supreme Court of Virginia). Justice Thompson talks about his parents and his early life in Chatham, Virginia, particularly the influence of his father; his experience as a student at Hampden-Sydney College, his professors, his religious education and the importance of his religious faith throughout his life. He talks about attending law school at the University of Virginia and being in the Navy during World War II in the South Pacific. Thompson recalls his career in Chatham as a lawyer, state legislator, and circuit court judge. He reflects on the political circumstances of his appointments to the circuit court and the Supreme Court of Virginia, and his decision to retire after serving only three years. The interview closes with Thompson's thoughts on writing opinions in two death penalty cases while he was on the court, his views on the death penalty, and his strict constructionist views on the Constitution and the role of the judiciary.
Oral history interview with Justice Henry H. Whiting by Norfolk State Professor of History Cassandra Newby-Alexander, 2011 December 12 (1 hour, 35 minutes; transcript available at the Supreme Court of Virginia). Justice Whiting talks about his family, growing up in Winchester, Virginia; serving in the Army during World War II and witnessing the Battle of Remagen, and his thoughts on General George S. Patton, who knew his father and godfather; attending college at Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia and attending law school at the University of Virginia; and practicing law in Winchester. Toward the end of the interview, he discusses being a circuit court judge in Winchester, his appointment to the Supreme Court of Virginia, and serving on the court.
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Oral history interview with Robert N. Baldwin, Executive Secretary, 2010 May 14 .
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Oral history interview with Robert N. Baldwin, Executive Secretary, 2010 May 21 .
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Oral history interview with John Thomas (Jack) Bruce, Chief Staff Attorney, 2013 Oct 11 .
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Oral history interview with Justice Harry L. Carrico, 2007 April 12 .
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Oral history interview with Justice Harry L. Carrico, 2007 Sept 28 .
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Oral history interview with Justice George M. Cochran, 2007 Mar 30 .
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Oral history interview with Frederick A. Hodnett, Jr., 2014 June 3 .
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Oral history interview with Judge Barbara Milano Keenan, 2013 June 6 .
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Oral history interview with Justice Lawrence L. Koontz, 2013 May 17 .
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Oral history interview with Justice Elizabeth B. Lacy, 2015 Sept 15 .
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Oral history interview with Clerk Allen L. Lucy, 2009 June 11 .
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Oral history interview with Justice Charles S. Russell, 2007 Apr 23 .
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Oral history interview with Justice Roscoe B. Stephenson, 2007 Apr 30 .
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Oral history interview with Justice John Charles Thomas, 2007 Aug 8 .
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Oral history interview with Justice W. Carrington Thompson, 2007 Nov 14 .
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Oral history interview with Justice Henry H. Whiting, 2011 Dec 12 .
This series includes 9 video recordings of oral history interviews with judges who served on the Virginia Court of Appeals. Oral history interviews were conducted by Cassandra Newby-Alexander, Professor of History, Norfolk State University, for the Supreme Court of Virginia Archives. The interviews were conducted for the Supreme Court of Virginia Historical Commission beginning in 2007. The Supreme Court of Virginia Historical Advisory Committee (formerly Commission) was established in 2006 to preserve and promote the history of the court. Oral history interviews of retired Supreme Court justices, Court of Appeals judges, other individuals associated with the court, and civil rights attorneys were begun in 2007 and the project is ongoing. Interviews are listed in alphabetical order.
Includes the following oral history interviews:
Oral history interview with Judge James W. Benton, 2009 March 12, conducted at the Supreme Court Building in Richmond (2 hours, 12 minutes, transcript available at the Supreme Court of Virginia). Judge Benton discusses growing up in the Huntersville neighborhood of Norfolk, Va., attending segregated schools, participating in sit-in protests to desegregate public facilities, and being among the first African American students to attend a formerly white high school in Norfolk. He talks about attending Temple University in Philadelphia, graduate school at Northwestern University in Chicago, and law school at the University of Virginia in the late 1960s and the experience of being one of the first African Americans to attend the law school. He relates his experiences working as an attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and at the Richmond law firm of Hill, Tucker and Marsh; his work on the Norfolk school desegration court cases; and his work on business cases and housing descrimination cases in the 1970s and 1980s. Benton also talks about the circumstances leading to his appointment on the Court of Appeals of Virginia when it was established in 1985, the work of establishing the court, his approach to his role as a judge, his thoughts about writing dissenting opinions, and his views on constitutional rights and criminal cases.
Oral history interview with Judge Samuel W. Coleman, 2013 Dec 6, conducted at the Supreme Court Building in Richmond (2 hours, 27 minutes, transcript available). Judge Coleman talks about his family's roots in Scott County and growing up in Gate City, Va., his education, law practice in Gate City, and serving as a circuit court judge. He also discusses making the transition to an appellate court judge and his experiences serving as a judge on the Court of Appeals of Virginia.
Oral history interview with Chief Judge Walter S. Felton, Jr., 2014 Nov 7, conducted at the Supreme Court Building (1 hour, 40 minutes, transcript available). Judge Felton discusses growing up in Suffolk, attending public schools there, attending college and law school at the University of Richmond, and his career as an attorney, a professor at William and Mary, a deputry attorney in the Office of the Attorney General, Counselor to Governor James S. Gilmore, and as a judge and chief judge on the Court of Appeals of Virginia.
Oral history interview with Judge Johanna Levenson Fitzpatrick, 2009 July 13, conducted at her home in Alexandria, Virginia (2 hours; transcript available). Judge Fiztpatrick discusses her early life and growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, where her father owned a department store; her education at Tufts University and Catholic University Law School; working as a legal aid lawyer and on revisions to the Code on neglect and abuse of children; and her work as a juvenile and domestic relations judge and her appointment to the Court of Appeals of Virginia in 1992; choosing and mentoring law clerks, the process of writing opinions, differences working as a trial judge and an appellate judge, her decision to retire in 2006, and her subsequent career as a mediator.
Oral history interview with Judge Robert P. Frank, 2014 Dec 19, conducted at his chambers in Newport News (1 hour, 26 minutes; transcript available). Judge Frank discusses his childhood in Newport News, his family's roots in Europe and their immigration to Baltimore and Newport News; his family's connections to the Jewish community in Newport News, playing sports, attending public schools in Newport News and attending the University of Virginia. He also talks about his career, first as a lawyer in private practice with his brother, and then as juvenile and domestic relations judge, a circuit court judge, and a judge on the Court of Appeals of Virginia.
Oral history interview with Judge James W. Haley, Jr., 2013 Sept 11, conducted at the Supreme Court Building in Richmond (1 hour, 45 minutes; transcript available). Judge Haley discusses growing up in Arlington County, Virginia, and the influence of his parents (his father was a lawyer who worked as a lobbyist for coal mines, and his mother wa an attorney for the Treasury Dept. before Haley was born) and teachers at St. Stephen's Episcopal School for Boys, Washington and Lee University, and the University of Virginia. He reflects on his experience clerking for Chief Justice Eggleston (Supreme Court of Virginia), and discusses working for Commonwealth's Attorney William Hassan and working as a county attorney in King George County, as well as his experiences in private practice and as a district, circuit and appellate judge.
Oral history interview with Judge William H. Hodges, 2015 Mar 6, conducted at his residence in Norfolk (1 hour, 44 minutes; transcript available). Judge Hodges discusses growing up in rural Norfolk County, where his father farmed and worked as a police officer; attending Randolph Macon Military Academy in Winchester and Randolph Macon College in Ashland, and then law school at Washington and Lee. He also discusses his career practicing law in Norfolk and Chesapeake, serving in the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate, and as a circuit court judge, and his experience as one of the founding members of the Court of Appeals of Virginia.
Oral history interview with Judge Rosemarie Annunziata, 2015 Nov 18, conducted at the Supreme Court Building in Richmond (2 hours, 53 minutes; transcipt available). Judge Annunziata discusses growing up a first-generation American in Newark and Irvington, New Jersey; her family's roots in the Puglia region of Italy; her education, including French studies at the Sorbonne, Paris, and at Yale University; working at the Montgomery Advertiser newspaper in Montgomery, Alabama, from 1963-1966; her work on the Fairfax County Planning Commission and other community work; attending law school after having a family; practicing law in Fairfax County; and her career as a circuit court and appellate judge.
Oral history interview about the organization of the Court of Appeals of Virginia, 2013, conducted at the Community Idea Stations in Richmond (1 hour, 39 minutes; transcript available). Includes interviews with five of the 10 judges who sat on the Court of Appeals of Virginia when it was founded in 1985: James W. Benton, Jr.; Sam W. Coleman, III; Barbara M. Keenan; Lawrence W. Koontz; and Norman K. Moon. The participants discuss the historical context in which the court was created and the opposition to the court when it was created; the process of establishing procedures for the new court; the experience of being on the court; and the successes of the court. Toward the end of the discussion, Newby-Alexander asks each participant about what led him or her to pursue a legal career.
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Oral history interview with Judge Rosemarie Annunziata, 2015 Nov 18 .
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Oral history interview with Judge James W. Benton, 2009 Mar 12 .
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Oral history interview with Judge Samuel W. Coleman, 2013 Dec 16 .
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Oral history interview with Judge James S. Felton, 2014 Nov 7 .
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Oral history interview with Judge Johanna Levenson Fitzpatrick, 2009 July 13 .
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Oral history interview with Judge Robert P. Frank, 2014 Dec 19 .
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Oral history interview with Judge James W. Haley, Jr., 2013 Sept 11 .
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Oral history interview with Judge William H. Hodges, 2015 Mar 6 .
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Oral history interview about the organization of the Court of Appeals of Virginia, 2015 Nov 18 .
This series includes 4 video recordings of oral history interviews with attorneys who worked on school desgregation and other civil rights cases in Virginia and elsewhere in the mid-twentieth century, and an oral history interview with a Roanoke County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court judge. Oral history interviews were conducted by Cassandra Newby-Alexander, Professor of History, Norfolk State University, for the Supreme Court of Virginia Historical Advisory Commission. The Supreme Court of Virginia Historical Advisory Committee (formerly Commission) was established in 2006 to preserve and promote the history of the court. Oral history interviews of retired Supreme Court justices, Court of Appeals judges, other individuals associated with the court, and civil rights attorneys were begun in 2007 and the project is ongoing.
Includes the following oral history interviews:
Oral history interview with civil rights attorney William T. Coleman, Jr., 2009 Jan 30 (1 hour and 29 minutes). William Coleman
discusses his parents' roots in Baltimore, MD, and the history of his mother's family (Mason), his youth in suburban Philadelphia
and the discrimination he experienced there, and attending the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University Law School.
He talks about his experiences in World War II and training as a pilot in Mississippi and Texas, and attending Harvard University
business school while he was in the army. He also talks about defending African American pilots who were denied access to
the officers' club at Freeman Field in Seymour, Indiana in 1945. Coleman discusses his experiences clerking for Judge Herbert
F. Goodrich of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit, and for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter, his work as
a lawyer in New York City and Philadelphia, and his work on the Brown v. Board of Education and Little Rock school desegregation
cases. He also discusses his work on the Eisenhower Committee on Government Employment Policy, formed to expand employment
of African Americans in federal government, and his work as General Counsel on the Warren Commission, which investigated the
assassination of President Kennedy. He talks about his accomplishments as U.S. Secretary of Transportation and advising President Ford on the Boston school busing case. Coleman also mentions his relationships with civil rights advocates Thurgood Marshall,
Charles H. Houston, William H. Hastie; with Elliott Richardson, who clerked also with Justice Frankfurter, and with President Lyndon Johnson.
Oral history interview with State Senator Henry Marsh, 2008 Sept 8 (Part 1, 55 minutes). Senator Marsh discusses in parents' roots in Newport News and North Carolina, his early childhood in Richmond and Smithfield, Va., attending segregated schools in Isle of Wight County and Richmond, his siblings, and his children. He talks about the influence of teachers and his early work experiences as a newspaper carrier and working in a restaurant in Richmond. He talks about attending Maggie Walker High School in Richmond and becoming involved in the NAACP chapter there, his work at editor of the school newspaper, and of becoming involved in student government at Virginia Union University. He relates his experience in protesting massive restitance in January 1956 and witnessing Oliver Hill's forceful denunciation of the all white Virginia legislature. Marsh discesses attending law school at Howard University and the influence of Charles Houston and other students in his development as a civil rights attorney. He discusses at length his early career as a civil rights lawyer in Richmond, particularly his work on school desegreation and busing cases, his years at the Tucker and Marsh law firm, and his involvement in the lengthy court battle over the desegregation of Norfolk schools.
Oral history interview with State Senator Henry Marsh, 2008 Oct 8 (Part 2, 1 hour and 5 minutes). Senator Marsh continues to describe his work as a civil rights attorney and elaborates in more detail on his work in the Norfolk school case and other cases in the Tidewater area. He talks about his relationship with U.S. District Court Judge Walter E. Hoffman, school desegregation cases in Giles County, Portsmouth and Nansemond County. He also discusses opposition he faced from African Americans in Portsmouth and Norfolk who did not want to integrate black schools, and opposition from NAACP leader Ben Chavis and Norfolk civil rights lawyer Jim Jordan. Marsh talks bout his decision to become involved in politics in Richmond, testifying in congressional hearings on whether Virginia should be included in the provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1964, running into Senator Edward Kennedy and providing him with evidence of continuing voter descrimination in Virginia, his work litigating employee discrimination cases, in particular a case involving Phillip Morris employees, and a class-action tobacco workers case. He also talks about his law partner S.W. Tucker and Tucker's influence on him as mentor and teacher. He relates the experience of seeing Chicago attorney Bob Ming defend Tucker in a Greensville County trail, in which Tucker was charged with unethical conduct. Marsh also mentions his disagreement with Oliver Hill over whether to endorse Lewis Powell's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, his professional involvement in National Caucus of Elected Officials and the U.S. Conference of Mayors, his early support of Jimmy Carter, and efforts to restrict sprawl and preserve historic districts in Richmond when he was mayor. The interview closes with a discussion of Marsh's decision to run for the State Senate and his career there.
Oral history interview with civil rights attorney William T. Mason, Jr., 2008 Mar 5 (1 hour, 28 minutes) and 2008 Mar 12,
(1 hour, 13 minutes). Mason talks about his parents growing up in Trinidad and Pennsylvanina, his childhood growing up in
Norfolk and New York City, and his education at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Va., Colby College in Maine, and Howard
University Law School in D.C. He discusses his father's work as an insurance salesman and real estate broker in Norfolk,
and his mother's career as a social worker and her volunteer work to help improve housing and education in segregated Norfolk.
In discussing his father's career, he talks about discrimination in lending and development in Virginia Beach. In discussing
his mother's career, he talks about the community they enjoyed in New York City, his mother's work in the National Council
of Negro Women in New York and Virginia, her work organizing the Women's Interracial Council in Norfolk, her efforts to bring
attention to the housing shortage in Norfolk after World War II, and her work to support students when the Norfolk schools
were closed due to massive resistance. He also discusses the work of civil rights attorney Oliver Hill and others in the
Norfolk area in the 1940s. Toward the end of the interview, Mason discusses the context of his appointment to the U.S. Attorney's
Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and his work there, which included school desegregation cases. He concludes the
interview by talking about attorneys Leonard W. Holt, E.A. Dawley, and Joseph A. Jordan and civil rights litigation in Norfolk
during the 1970s and 1980s, and his relationship with Norfolk State University president Lyman Beecher Brooks.
Oral history interview with Judge Philip Trompeter, Roanoke County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, 2009 Oct 9 (2 hours, 17 minutes). Trompeter talks about his early years in downtown Roanoke, where his parents operated a bakery. His parents were both first-generation Jewish immigrants to the U.S. He also discusses attending college at New York University and law school at the University of Richmond. He discusses his experience working on revisions to mental health legislation in Virginia, his appointment to the bench, and his experiences as a Juvenile and Domestic Relations judge in Roanoke.
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Oral history interview with William T. Coleman, Jr., 2009 Jan 30 .
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Oral history interview with Henry Marsh (part 1), 2008 Sept 8 .
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Oral history interview with Henry Marsh (part 2), 2008 Oct 8 .
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Oral history interview with William T. Mason, Jr. (part 1), 2008 Mar 5 .
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Oral history interview with William T. Mason, Jr. (part 2), 2008 Mar 12 .
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Oral history interview with Judge Phillip Trompeter, 2009 Oct 9 .
This series includes 12 video recordings of personal remembrances of Chief Justice Hassell, recorded at the Virginia Judicial Conference in Roanoke, Virginia, in May 2011, and the Virginia Judicial Conference for District Court Judges in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in August 2011. Two additional interviews were recorded at the Virginia Supreme Court Building in June 2011. Recordings are listed in alphabetical order. Transcript available.
Includes the following remembrances:
Judge F. Bruce Bach, retired, Circuit Court Judge, Fairfax County, recorded in Roanoke in 2011(5 minutes, 19 seconds). Bach worked with Hassell in 2005, when he served as interim executive secretary, or court administrator.
Chief Judge Rufus Banks, Jr., Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, Chesapeake, recorded in Virginia Beach in 2011 (1 minute, 10 seconds).
Stephen D. Benjamin, defense lawyer, Richmond, recorded in Richmond (9 minutes, 34 seconds). Benjamin discusses working with Hassell on an initiative to improve training and support for court-appointed defense attorneys.
Judge D. Eugene Cheek, General District Court - Richmond, recorded in Virginia Beach (1 minute 51 seconds).
Judge Roxie O. Holder, General District Court - Portsmouth, recorded in Virginia Beach (53 seconds).
Judge Birdie H. Jamison, General District Court - Richmond, recorded in Virginia Beach (1 minute, 7 seconds).
Judge H. Thomas Padrick, Circuit Court - Virginia Beach, recorded in Roanoke (8 minutes, 7 seconds). Padrick discusses serving with Hassell on the Committee on District Courts.
Judge Cleo E. Powell, Court of Appeals of Virginia, recorded in Richmond (5 minutes). Powell discusses meeting Hassell when they were both students ad the University of Virginia in the 1970s.
Judge Angela Roberts, Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court - Richmond, recorded in Virginia Beach (4 minutes, 11 seconds). Roberts discusses her friendship with Hassell and his many accomplishments.
Justice Charles S. Russell, Supreme Court of Virginia, recorded in Richmond (9 minutes, 21 seconds). Russell recalls serving with Hassell on the Supreme Court of Virginia.
Judge Thomas S. Shadrick, retired, Circuit Court - Virginia Beach, recorded in Roanoke (4 minutes). Shadrick talks about Hassell's work mentoring children in the Virginia Beach school system.
Judge Phillip Trompeter, Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court - Roanoke, recorded in Virginia Beach (5 minutes, 13 seconds). Trompeter recalls serving with Hassell on the Committee for District Courts.
Memorial resolutions of the House of Delegates and Senate honoring the life and work of Chief Justice Leroy R. Hassell, Sr., who passed away 2011 Feb 9. Includes the following:
Delegate Wade Armstrong (2 minutes, 46 seconds).
Delegate Bill Janis (6 minutes, 53 seconds).
Delegate Lacey E. Putney (3 minutes, 44 seconds).
State Senator Stephen Martin (3 minutes, 13 seconds).
Miscellaneous court video recordings include various presentations and speeches. Recordings are in chronological order. Includes the following:
Speech by Chief Justice Leroy Rountree Hassell, Sr., at the Washington and Lee School of Law, undated (53 minutes, 22 seconds). Speech given as part of a Washington and Lee School of Law lecture series.
Courts in Transition, 1989 (20 minutes, 21 seconds). A Report of the Commission on the Future of Virginia's Judicial System with messages from Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico and Commission Chair Robert O'Neill.
Jury Service: Cornerstone of Justice, 1989 (15 minutes, 55 seconds). Video prepared by the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court to promote a better understanding of the jury system in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Hosted by Roger Mudd and filmed at the Old Historical Courthouse Fairfax County, and the Virginia Beach Circuit Court.
Juror orientation with opening message from Chief Justice Leroy R. Hassell, Sr., 2003 circa (16 minutes, 14 seconds). Juror orientation video presented by the Virginia State Bar addressing the duties and responsiblities of jurors. Opening message by Chief Justice Leroy R. Hassell regarding the fair and impartial jury trial as a fundamental constitutional right.
Interview with Chief Justice Leroy Rountree Hassell, Sr., 2004 (14 minutes, 20 seconds). Uncut interview with Chief Justice Hassell regarding the commemoration of the 225th anniversary of the establishment of the Supreme Court of Virginia.
Interview with Chief Justice Leroy Rountree Hassell, Sr., by Barbara Berlin for the program Perspective, produced by the Community Idea Stations, Richmond, Va., originally airing on 2005 Jan 6 (28 minutes, 27 seconds; Episode 050104). Berlin interviews Chief Justice Hassell about the commemoration of 225th anniversary of the establishment of the Supreme Court of Virginia. Features clips from the special court session ceremony commemorating the event.
Interview with Chief Justice Leroy Rountree Hassell, Sr., by Barbara Berlin for the program Perspective, produced by the Community Idea Stations, Richmond, Va., originally airing on 2006 Nov 24 (27 minutes, 14 seconds; Episode 061104). Berlin interviews Chief Justice Hassell about the 230th anniversary of the enactment of the Virginia Constitution and includes video clips of the commemorative ceremony held 2006 Nov 2.
Chief Justice Leroy Rountree Hassall's annual messages delivered at the Virginia Judiciary Conferences in Roanoke, 2007; Williamburg, 2008; Roanoke, 2009; and Norfolk, 2010. The Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Virginia delivers an annual state of the judiciary message each May at the Virginia Judiciary Conference. Hassell discusses magistrate system reforms; the Commission on Mental Law Reform an efforts to reform mental health laws; the Judicial Performance Evaluation Program and opposition to it in the General Assembly; improvements in information technology, including e-filing and case imaging and management systems; Drug Century; emergency preparedness planning (Pandemic Flu Preparedness Commission); effects of state budget cuts on the judiciary branch; making legal services more accessible to the poor; and increasing diversity in the judicial branch. He also notes anniversaries important in the history of racial integration of the judicial branch in the twentieth century. in the 2010 message, Hassell concludes his remarks with recollections of growing up in Norfolk; his mentors and influences, including Judge James Benton, Norfolk lawyer Joseph Jordan, and Supreme Court of Virginia Justice John Charles Thomas; and reflectios on his accomplishments during his eight years as Chief Justice.
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Chief Justice Leroy R. Hassell, Sr. - Speech at Washington and Lee Law School, undated .
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Courts in Transition, 1989 .
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Jury Service: Cornerstone of Justice, 1989 .
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Virginia State Bar juror orientation with message from Chief Justice Leroy R. Hassell, Sr., 2003 circa .
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Interview with Chief Justice Leroy Rountree Hassell, Sr., 2004 .
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Interview with Chief Justice Leroy Rountree Hassell, Sr., regarding the 225th anniversary of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 2005 Jan 6 .
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Interview with Chief Justice Leroy Rountree Hassell, Sr., regarding the 230th anniversary of the Virginia Constitution, 2006 Nov 24 .
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Chief Justice Leroy Rountree Hassell's annual state of the judiciary addresses at the Virginia Judiciary Conference, 2007-2010 .