by Kandiss Edwards
August 28, 2025
Justice Cleo E. Powell will make historical past on Jan. 1, 2026, when she takes the helm as Chief Justice of the Supreme Courtroom of Virginia.
Justice Cleo E. Powell will make historical past on Jan. 1, 2026, when she takes the helm as Chief Justice of the Supreme Courtroom of Virginia.
Her colleagues voted unanimously to elect her, making Powell the primary Black girl to guide the state’s highest courtroom.
Powell grew up in Brunswick County and has spent a lot of her profession in her dwelling state, breaking limitations. The soon-to-be Chief joined the Supreme Courtroom in 2011 after serving on the Courtroom of Appeals. Additionally, she served on the Chesterfield Circuit Courtroom and the Chesterfield Basic District Courtroom. She was re-elected to the excessive courtroom in 2023. She’s going to succeed Chief Justice S. Bernard Goodwyn, who’s stepping down after greater than three years within the position.
Her skilled path has spanned personal follow, company regulation, and public service. Early in her profession, she labored as a labor and employment legal professional and later served as company counsel and director of worker providers for an vitality firm. She additionally held the position of Senior Assistant Lawyer Basic earlier than taking the bench.
Outdoors her day-to-day judicial work, Powell has been deeply concerned in shaping how Virginia’s courts function. She chairs the Judicial Efficiency Analysis Committee, has served on the Judicial Inquiry and Assessment Fee, and has taught and mentored judges and legal professionals by packages at New York College and the Appalachian College of Legislation.
Chief Justice Goodwyn referred to as her “a devoted jurist who exemplifies integrity, civility, and professionalism.”
Powell can be identified for mentoring younger attorneys and inspiring college students to think about authorized careers. She has been a visual advocate for illustration and inclusion within the authorized occupation. Her regular dedication to uplifting others displays the values which have guided her profession: equity, service, and opening doorways for others.
Her appointment is greater than a private milestone, it’s a reminder to future generations that Virginia’s courts belong to everybody.
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