GOVERNOR APPOINTS ROUSH TO SUPREME COURT

[Posted July 27, 2015] Governor McAuliffe has appointed Fairfax Circuit Court Judge Jane Roush to the Supreme Court of Virginia, effective August 1. She replaces Justice Lee Millette, who recently announced his retirement, effective July 31.

Under Virginia law, this appointment is technically temporary, as it expires 30 days after the legislature convenes in January. I added the adverb technically to that sentence because I’m not aware of any instance – in the history of the Commonwealth, though admittedly my familiarity is fuzzy when you go back that far – in which the General Assembly has taken a robe off a justice’s shoulders in a political fight with the Governor. It’s happened at the trial-court level, but never in the Commonwealth’s highest court.

This is an opportunity for me to congratulate my law-school almost-classmate on a terrific milestone in her legal and judicial career.

One last point: the dramatic turnover in the Supreme Court’s personnel continues apace. With the ascent of Justice Roush, five of the court’s seven members will have been appointed since 2010.