Virginia Lawyers Weekly VA Lawyers Weekly
The Supreme Court of Virginia certified a pending judicial vacancy in the Eighth Judicial Circuit, stating the vacancy “should be filled in the manner prescribed by law.”
The high court announced the certification on Jan. 12 in a letter to Virginia Lawyers Weekly.
The vacancy will be created by the retirement of Hampton Circuit Court Judge Christopher W. Hutton, who will be retiring on Jan. 31. Hutton announced his retirement on Dec. 6 in a letter to Supreme Court of Virginia Chief Justice S. Bernard Goodwyn.
“It is time for someone else to assume the challenges as a Circuit Court Judge and the benefits of service here,” Hutton wrote in the letter. “I firmly believe that the opportunity to work as a Circuit Judge allowed me an extraordinary education in spectrums of life that reveal the best and worst of human behavior.”
Hutton was tapped to serve on the court in 1995 by the General Assembly after more than 19 years as a prosecutor – the last 13 as Hampton’s commonwealth’s attorney. After his retirement, Hutton will be placed on the “recall list” for retired judges to hear cases as substitute judges.
The General Assembly will be tasked with filling the vacancy. The current legislative session began on Jan. 11 and will last through late February.
