Chosen by legislature7 justices· 12-year terms· SCV
Chief: Elected by a majority of the court's own membership to a four-year term as Chief Justice; Cleo E. Powell began her term as Chief Justice on January 1, 2026..
Adopted 1971. Its declaration of rights sits in Article I (Bill of Rights). This court has the final word on what the Virginia constitution means.
Mixed approach
How a state reads its own rights provisions relative to the federal floor, lockstep vs departure.
State-court structure and selection methods are from official and reference sources; the justice roster is point-in-time. Civibrief carries each state's highest court (lower state courts are out of scope for now).
