Joseph Cornell Lindsey (born August 10, 1959) is a

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 ...

judge in the Fourth Judicial Circuit. Formerly a lawyer in private practice in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, substitute judge in that court for 16 years and Democratic politician, he represented (part-time) the 90th district in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-number ...

from 2014 until November 15, 2020, when he resigned to accept the judicial appointment; fellow Democrat Angelia Williams Graves succeeded to the seat.

Early life and education

Born in Norfolk, Lindsey graduated from Booker T. Washington High School before attending the

Hampton Institute Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missionary Association aft ...

. After receiving a B.A. in political science in 1981, he went to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

to study law, and received a J.D. from American University in 1984.

Career

Lindsey had a general legal practice in Norfolk, and his district encompassed part of Norfolk and part of

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

. He won the 2014 special election to succeed retiring incumbent Algie Howell. Voters have since re-elected Lindsey (who faced no opponents in 2015, 2017 and 2019). In the 2020 session, a bill which Lindsey had proposed allowing judges to inform juries of the range of criminal sentences passed and was signed into law by Governor

Ralph Northam Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...

on March 4, 2020. Lindsey served as the Chair of the Privileges and Elections Committee.

Personal life

Judge Lindsey and his wife of 28 years, Rhoda, have two children, Ashley and Jason.

References

1959 births Living people Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates Politicians from Norfolk, Virginia Virginia lawyers Virginia state court judges 21st-century American politicians {{Virginia-delegate-stub