New faces, leaders on House Courts

Four new members have taken seats on a slightly smaller House Courts of Justice Committee this month as the House of Delegates leadership shifted from Democrats to Republicans.

Three new committee members are lawyers in their first session as General Assembly members.

Del. Rob Bell, R-Charlottesville, now chairs the 20-member Courts Committee, trimmed from 22 members in the 2020-21 sessions. Del. Les Adams, R-Chatham, serves as vice-chair.

Three newly elected Republican delegates were named to House Courts when Speaker Todd Gilbert, R-Woodstock, announced committee assignments Jan. 12. All three are attorneys: Jason Ballard of Pearisburg, Wren Williams of Stuart and Tim Anderson of Virginia Beach.

New to the committee but not new to the House is Del. Ronnie Campbell, R-Fairfield, a retired state trooper.

House Courts has five non-attorneys, the same number as the last two years. Besides Campbell, the non-lawyer members are Margaret Ransone, R-Kinsale, in sales management, Vivian Watts, D-Annandale, with a background in government and advocacy, and Karrie Delaney, D-Centreville, a communications consultant.

Missing from the committee with the party shift are Dels. Mike Mullin, D-Newport News, and Carrie Coyner, R-Chesterfield. Coyner has been named to the House Appropriations Committee. Mullin is now on Counties, Cities and Towns and Commerce and Energy.

Elections brought other committee departures. Jason Miyares, a House Courts member in the last two sessions, was elected state attorney general. Dels. Mark Levine, D-Fairfax, and Steve Heretick, D-Newport News, both were primaried. Del. Nancy Guy, D- Norfolk, lost in a general election to Anderson.