August 26, 2025
The Hon. Cleo E. Powell New Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Virginia
The Justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia unanimously elected Justice Cleo E. Powell as
Chief Justice-elect. Chief Justice-elect Powell, who will become the first African American woman
to serve as Chief Justice in the Court’s history, will succeed Chief Justice S. Bernard Goodwyn.
Chief Justice Goodwyn has served as Chief Justice since January 1, 2022, and has announced his
retirement effective January 1, 2026.
Chief Justice-elect Powell will assume office on January 1, 2026.
She was first elected by the
General Assembly to the Supreme Court of Virginia in 2011 and re-elected in 2023. Previously, she
served as a judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia. Earlier in her judicial career, she served as a
judge of the 12th Judicial Circuit Court and the Chesterfield General District Court.
Chief Justice-elect Powell earned her undergraduate degree, with distinction, from the University of
Virginia and her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law.
Before joining the bench, she practiced labor and employment law, served as corporate counsel and
director of employee services for an energy company, and worked as a Senior Assistant Attorney
General in the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia.
She chairs the Judicial Performance Evaluation Committee and serves on the Executive Committee
of the Judicial Conference of Virginia. Her prior service includes the Model Jury Instructions
Committee, the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission, and the Ad Hoc Committee for the Study
of Canons of Judicial Conduct. She has been recognized with numerous professional and civic
honors, including the Virginia State Bar Young Lawyers Conference Jurist of the Year Award, the
YMCA of Greater Richmond’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Service Award for Legacy, and the Virginia
State Bar’s Clarence M. Dunnaville Jr. Achievement Award.
Chief Justice-elect Powell also contributes to legal education as a faculty member on New York
University’s Institute of Judicial Administration’s Appellate Judges Seminar. She is the Diversity
Mentor, Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law, and The L. Anthony Sutin Endowed Lecturer at
the Appalachian School of Law. Current Chief Justice Goodwyn remarked that “Chief Justice-elect
Powell is a dedicated jurist who exemplifies integrity, civility, and professionalism, and I am
confident that she will serve the Court as Chief Justice with the highest distinction.”