Because the library is not open to the general public, researchers should contact the library to arrange access to the collection.
Preferred Citation
Supreme Court of Virginia Oaths of Office, 1935-1985; 2007, Accession #00028932, Supreme Court of Virginia Archives, Virginia
State Law Library, Richmond.
Acquisition Information
These records were transferred from the Clerk's office to the State Law Library in 2006.
The Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia was created by an act of the new General Assembly in 1779. Although the Supreme Court
of Virginia possesses both original and appellate jurisdiction, its primary function is to review decisions of lower courts,
including the Court of Appeals, from which appeals have been allowed.
Section 49-1 of the Code of Virginia requires justices to take an oath as on officer of the Commonwealth. Pursuant to Section
49-3 of the Code of Virginia, justices may be sworn in by a judge, clerk, or deputy clerk of a court of record; a judge of
a district court; the Secretary of the Commonwealth, or a State Corporation Commissioner. Justices are elected by the legislature
to 12-year terms. Chief justices are elected by a majority vote of the other Supreme court justices and serve a four-year
term.
The Supreme Court of Virginia Clerk's Office receives, processes, and maintains permanent records of all appeals and other
official documents filed with the Court. The Clerk also maintains records of qualified attorneys and other administrative
records.
The collection (not comprehensive) contains oaths of office of Supreme Court justices between 1935 and 2012. The collection
also contains the oaths taken by Supreme Court Clerk Maury B. Watts, 1937; Deputy Clerk Bryan L. Clarke, 1957; Clerk Allen
L. Lucy, 1977; Attorney General Kenneth C. Patty, 1957; and J. Lindsay Almond, Roanoke (city) Hustings Court judge, 1941.
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