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Law 2025: THE HON. S. BERNARD GOODWYN
CHIEF JUSTICE, SUPREME COURT OF VIRGINIA, RICHMOND
Virginia Business //September 2, 2025//
Chief of the Supreme Court of Virginia, Justice S. Bernard Goodwyn, speaks during the Investiture of Virginia Supreme Court Justice Thomas P. Mann Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022, in Richmond. Va. Mann was elected by the General Assembly on June 17, 2022 to a twelve-year term beginning August 1, 2022, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of William C. Mims. (POOL/AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Chief of the Supreme Court of Virginia, Justice S. Bernard Goodwyn, speaks during the Investiture of Virginia Supreme Court Justice Thomas P. Mann Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022, in Richmond. Va. Mann was elected by the General Assembly on June 17, 2022 to a twelve-year term beginning August 1, 2022, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of William C. Mims. (POOL/AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Law 2025: THE HON. S. BERNARD GOODWYN
CHIEF JUSTICE, SUPREME COURT OF VIRGINIA, RICHMOND
Virginia Business //September 2, 2025//
It’s little wonder Goodwyn’s classmates at Southampton High School handed him the “most likely to succeed” superlative. Quarterback of the football team, Goodwyn was also president of the student body and valedictorian.
After high school, Goodwyn headed to Harvard, where he played football and ran track. An economics major, Goodwyn graduated magna cum laude.
After earning his law degree at the University of Virginia, Goodwyn worked in private practice in Norfolk. In 1995, he became the first Black judge appointed to the Chesapeake General District Court.
Goodwyn stayed in that role for two years, then served as a judge of the Chesapeake Circuit Court for a decade.
In 2007, then-Gov. Tim Kaine appointed Goodwyn to the Virginia Supreme Court. In 2021, fellow justices tapped Goodwyn to be chief justice.
Earlier this year, Goodwyn announced plans to retire on Jan. 1, 2026. During its annual meeting in January, the Virginia Bar Association gave the judge the Gerald L. Baliles Distinguished Service Award.
