Cleo E. Powell

Cleo Elaine Powell (born January 12, 1957) is the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia. She is the first African-American female and fifth woman overall to serve on Virginia's highest court.

Early life and education Born in Brunswick County, Virginia, Powell received an undergraduate degree in government from the University of Virginia in 1979. She returned to Charlottesville for legal studies and received her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1982.

Career Upon admission to the Virginia bar, Powell worked at Hunton & Williams as an associate lawyer (1982–1986), specializing in labor and employment law.

In 1993, following a conversation with former Richmond mayor and state senator Henry L. Marsh, Powell returned to the public sector, and would serve as a judge at every level of Virginia's judicial system.

Following the death of Leroy R. Hassell, Virginia governor Bob McDonnell nominated Powell to fill the vacancy, then legislators elected her to the Virginia Supreme Court on July 29, 2011, and Powell took the oath of office on August 2, 2011. She was re-elected twelve years later, and took the oath of office for her current twelve-year term on October 21, 2023, so her term expires in 2035. However, Justice Powell will reach the mandatory retirement age of 73 in 2030, prior to the end of her term.

In 2013, Powell was honored as one of the Library of Virginia's "Virginia Women in History". She has received other awards, and is also a distinguished visiting professor of law at the Appalachian School of Law.