Judiciary Committee
Committee Documents
The statewide Judiciary Committee gathers, organizes and disseminates information on and interviews potential candidates for judgeships and magistrateships, and submits recommendation letters to appointing authorities.
The President of VWAA appoints a Chair or Co-chairs of the Judiciary Committee from the membership and this appointment is approved by the Board of Directors. At least five other members of the Association representing different geographical regions throughout the Commonwealth are appointed to serve and also may include some or all of the chairs of any chapter judicial review committee formed by a local chapter. These appointments also must be approved by the Board of Directors and may be made on a rolling basis as needed to maintain the composition and effectiveness of a committee.
Rules of the VWAA Statewide Judiciary Committee and Chapter Judicial Review Committees (Updated April 2019)
Supplemental Documentation to the Rules (referenced as Tabs)
Editable Documents of Select Tabs (.zip)
Please contact vwaa@live.com if you need assistance with the editable documents.
Judicial Candidates Questionnaire
Candidates for judicial vacancies known or anticipated at the federal or statewide level shall be evaluated and considered by the Judiciary Committee. Candidates for judicial vacancies on regional Circuit, General District and Juvenile & Domestic relations courts shall be evaluated and considered by the nearest chapter judicial review committee.
Candidates must complete the VWAA Judicial Questionnaire. However, a committee may accept applications prepared by the candidate for another bar association if time constraints so require as long as the candidate is required to submit answers to any VWAA policy questions then in use.
Recommendation Letters
Once approved by the Board of Directors, the ratings, summary, and brief biographies of the members of a review committee shall be disseminated to the following:
- VWAA members
- The chair of the Courts of Justice Committees of the Virginia House of Delegates and Virginia Senate, for state court positions
- The members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate coordinating screening activities for vacancies on the federal bench
- The Governor, in the event of an interim appointment or a request for review from the Governor
Below are the most recent recommendation documents for vacancies on the indicated courts.
