Judge Sharp to retire from 26th Circuit bench

Judge William W. Sharp will step down from the bench after 28 years of service.

Sharp, presiding judge of the Warren County Circuit Court, is set to retire June 30, according to a release from the court.

Sharp first began serving on the 26th District Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court on July 1, 1994. Initially, he was presiding judge in Warren, Page and Shenandoah counties before being reassigned to preside in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Courts of Winchester City/Frederick County and Harrisonburg City/Rockingham County.

From 1998 until 2007, he was chief judge of the 26th District Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. The General Assembly then elected Sharp to the 26th Judicial Circuit for Warren County and Winchester City/Frederick County. He has served as the presiding judge on the Warren County Circuit Court since May 2020.

Sharp, a past-president of the Virginia Council of Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Judges, was awarded the group’s Lilia Baum Hopper Service Award in 2019. The award, established in 2015, honors judges for their dedication and contributions to the children and families of Virginia.

In 2017, Sharp received the Harry L. Carrico Outstanding Career Service Award from the Judicial Council of Virginia. The annual award recognizes a Virginia judge “who, over an extended career, has demonstrated exceptional leadership in the administration of the courts while exhibiting the traits of integrity, courtesy, impartiality, wisdom, and humility.”

A frequent lecturer at judicial conferences, Sharp was also a member of the executive committee of the Judicial Conference of Virginia District Courts.

Prior to his appointment to the bench, Sharp was a practicing attorney for 17 years in Front Royal, including stints as an assistant commonwealth’s attorney and assistant private attorney, as well as time in private practice. He is a graduate of Yale University and the College of William & Mary School of Law.