Donald Wayne Lemons (born February 22, 1949) is a former associate justice of the

Supreme Court of Virginia The Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears direct appeals in civil cases from the trial-level city and county circuit courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and administrative ...

. He served as chief justice from 2015 to 2021. He received both his undergraduate and law degrees from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

Biography

Lemons was assistant dean and assistant professor of law of the

University of Virginia School of Law The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law or UVA Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as part of his "academical v ...

from 1976 to 1978. He then entered the private practice. Lemons first served as a judge of the Circuit Court of the City of Richmond, having been appointed to that position by Governor

George Allen George Allen may refer to: Politics and law * George E. Allen (1896–1973), American political operative and one-time head coach of the Cumberland University football team * George Allen (Australian politician) (1800–1877), Mayor of Sydney and ...

in 1995 while the legislature was out of session. He was subsequently confirmed for a full term by the General Assembly. In 1998, Lemons was elected by the General Assembly to an eight-year term on the

Court of Appeals of Virginia The Court of Appeals of Virginia, established January 1, 1985, is an intermediate appellate court of 17 judges that hears appeals from decisions of Virginia's circuit courts and the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission. The Court sits in p ...

. Lemons succeeded Judge Joseph E. Baker, one of the original members of the Court of Appeals. Upon the retirement of justice A. Christian Compton in 2000, Lemons was elected by the General Assembly to fill the vacancy on the high court. Robert J. Humphreys was elected to fill the vacancy on the Court of Appeals created by Lemons' elevation to the Supreme Court. Lemons was elected by the Court to his first four-year term as chief justice beginning on January 1, 2015 and he was re-elected by the court to a second term as chief justice beginning January 1, 2019, and he stepped down from the role on December 31, 2021. He retired from the court on February 1, 2022. From 1998 to 2000, Lemons was the A.L. Philpott Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Law at the

University of Richmond The University of Richmond (UR or U of R) is a private liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia. It is a primarily undergraduate, residential institution with approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students in five schools: the School ...

's law school. From 2000-08, he was John Marshall Professor of Judicial Studies at the law school. Since 2008, he has been the Distinguished Professor of Judicial Studies at the

Washington and Lee University School of Law The Washington and Lee University School of Law (W&L Law) is the professional graduate law school of Washington and Lee University. It is a private American Bar Association-accredited law school located in Lexington in the Shenandoah Valley reg ...

in Lexington, Virginia. Lemons was frequently mentioned as a likely candidate for appointment to the

United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (in case citations, 4th Cir.) is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * District of Maryla ...

. On June 13, 2007,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Senators

Jim Webb James Henry Webb Jr. (born February 9, 1946) is an American politician and author. He has served as a United States senator from Virginia, Secretary of the Navy, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, Counsel for the United States ...

and John Warner announced that they had recommended Lemons, along with four other candidates, to President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

for nomination to the Court. The nomination, however, was given to Lemons's colleague, then justice

G. Steven Agee George Steven Agee (born November 12, 1952) is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and a former justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia. Background Born in Roanoke, Virginia, Agee was e ...

, who was ultimately confirmed by the Senate. Lemons did not actively seek a nomination for another vacancy on the Fourth Circuit that was filled by President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

References

External links

* Washington and Lee University School of Law curriculum vita

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Lemons, Donald W. 1949 births Living people 21st-century American judges Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia Justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia People from Washington, D.C. University of Virginia School of Law alumni Virginia lawyers Virginia state court judges Washington and Lee University School of Law faculty