Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Upcoming Event

Best Places to Work in Virginia

Hamburger Menu Hamburger Menu

Tag: Virginia Supreme Court

Law 2023: THE HON. S. BERNARD GOODWYN

Born in 1961 in Southampton County, Goodwyn was appointed to the state bench by Gov. Tim Kaine in 2007 to fill the court vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Elizabeth B. Lacy. In 2021, he was elected chief justice for a four-year term beginning Jan. 1, 2022, filling the vacancy created when Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons stepped down.

Goodwyn previously served as a judge of the Chesapeake Circuit Court for over 10 years, as well as a general district court judge in Chesapeake for two years. Prior to serving on the bench, he was a research associate professor at the University of Virginia School of Law and a litigation partner at Willcox & Savage in Norfolk.

He earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard University, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1983, and received his law degree from U.Va. in 1986. In September 2022, Goodwyn stepped down as the justice co-chair of the Virginia Access to Justice Commission, after a three-year term. The commission was established by the state Supreme Court in 2013 to promote equal access to legal services, especially for low-income people.

Va. Supreme Court denies Roanoke courts’ plan to resume jury trials

The Virginia Supreme Court has rejected a plan by Roanoke Valley’s courts to resume jury trials during the pandemic.

Chief Judge David Carson of the 23rd Judicial Circuit of Virginia, which includes Roanoke, Roanoke County and Salem courts, said during an Oct. 13 Roanoke Bar Association Meeting that the Virginia Supreme Court rejected the proposal because it covered the three jurisdiction’s courts under one proposal instead of presenting separate plans for each courthouse, according to a report from Virginia Lawyers Weekly. Carson said the 23rd Judicial Circuit will redraft and resubmit plans Virginia Supreme Court.

So far, the Virginia Supreme Court has approved plans for 15 circuit courts to resume jury trials.

In March, the Virginia Supreme Court issued a Declaration of Judicial Emergency suspending jury trials anywhere in the state due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each district court in the commonwealth of Virginia is required to submit a plan to resume jury trials that must be approved by a panel of three justices and the state Office of the Executive Secretary. The Declaration of Judicial Emergency on Sept. 28 was extended through Nov. 1. 

“All courts should continue to conduct as much business as possible by means other than in-person court proceedings,” Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia Donald W. Lemons wrote in the most recent extension letter. “In all civil and criminal matters, courts are encouraged to use video conferencing, telephone, teleconferencing, email or other means that do not involve in-person contact. These methods are preferred over in-person court proceedings.”

 

Subscribe to Virginia Business.

Get our daily e-newsletter.