UPDATED: General Assembly appoints appellate judges, including my boss!

Glen A. Huff

The Virginia General Assembly today filled the two vacancies on the Supreme Court of Virginia by naming current Court of Appeals judges Elizabeth A. McClanahan and  Cleo E. Powell.  The two resulting vacancies on the Court of Appeals were filled with the appointments of Stephen R. McCullough, a senior appellate counsel with the attorney general’s office, and Glen A. Huff, the senior partner of my law firm, Huff, Poole & Mahoney, where Governor McDonnell previously practiced law.

So, please allow me a personal indulgence when I say Congratulations Glen!

UPDATE: Here is the statement of Governor McDonnell on these appointments:

Statement of Governor Bob McDonnell on the Election of Justices to the Supreme Court of Virginia and Judges to the Court of Appeals of Virginia and Circuit Courts

RICHMOND – Governor Bob McDonnell today issued the following statement regarding the General Assembly’s election of justices and judges:

“I welcome the news that the General Assembly has filled the vacancies on the Supreme Court of Virginia.

It is an historic day for Virginia to add two women to the Supreme Court, only months after the appointment of our first female Chief Justice. The election of Judge Cleo E. Powell as the first African American woman elected to the Supreme Court of Virginia, and previously to the Court of Appeals of Virginia, is a great moment in the life of our Commonwealth. Judge Elizabeth McClanahan, who has served our Commonwealth as Chief Deputy Attorney General and on the Court of Appeals of Virginia, brings valuable appellate experience and legal acumen to the Supreme Court of Virginia.

Additionally, I am glad to see that two of Virginia’s foremost legal minds will now join the Court of Appeals.  Steve McCullough brings to the bench a history of service to the Commonwealth and experience, first as a law clerk to former Chief Justice Leroy R. Hassell, Sr. and then in the Office of the Attorney General, including service as Solicitor General of Virginia. Having practiced with Glen Huff, I know well the valuable experience and expertise he brings to the Court of Appeals.

I also applaud the election of Glenn R. Croshaw, W. Revell Lewis III, and Judge Richard Y. AtLee, Jr. to the Circuit Court bench. In particular, having served alongside Glenn Croshaw in the Virginia House of Delegates, I appreciate the legislative experience that Glenn will bring to the judiciary.

I congratulate these newly-elected justices and judges on their election.  I also thank the General Assembly for taking action to fill these vacancies so that justice can continue to be served in our Commonwealth.”

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About the author

Ken Falkenstein

Ken Falkenstein has been a staffer in the United States Senate and the Virginia House of Delegates. He has managed political campaigns. He was a military intelligence analyst in the U.S. Army in West Germany during the Cold War. He is currently a civil litigation attorney with Poole Mahoney, P.C. in Virginia Beach. But his concern for his kids' future is what most informs his writing.