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Powell elected Supreme Court of Virginia chief justice
Nate Delesline III//August 27, 2025//
The justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia unanimously elected Justice Cleo E. Powell as chief justice-elect, the court said in a Tuesday announcement.
Powell will become the first African American woman in the court’s history to serve as chief justice. She will succeed Chief Justice S. Bernard Goodwyn.
Goodwyn, who has served as chief justice since Jan. 1, 2022, previously announced his intent to retire. Powell will take over effective Jan. 1, 2026.
The General Assembly elected Powell to the Supreme Court of Virginia in 2011 and re-elected her in 2023. Previously, she served as a judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia. Earlier in her judicial career, she served as a judge of the 12th Judicial Circuit Court and the Chesterfield General District Court.
Before joining the bench, Powell practiced labor and employment law and served as corporate counsel and director of employee services for an energy company. She also worked as a senior assistant attorney general in the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia.
Powell earned her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Virginia.
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