S. Bernard Goodwyn

Samuel Bernard Goodwyn (born February 23, 1961) is a former judge and lawyer. He served as a justice of the Virginia Supreme Court from 2007 to 2026 and concurrently as chief justice from 2022 to 2026. He previously served as a circuit court judge in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Early life

Samuel Bernard Goodwyn was born in 1961 in Southampton County, Virginia. He grew up in Boykins, Virginia. Neither of his parents, Dolly and Sam Goodwyn, had completed high school. In high school, he was student body president, captain of the track team, and the football quarterback for two AA state championships. He also played the saxophone in the Tri-County Concert Band. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1986.

Career

Goodwyn practiced law with McGuire, Woods, Battle & Boothe in Charlottesville, Virginia from 1986 to 1988. He joined the law firm of Willcox & Savage in Norfolk, Virginia, working there in litigation from 1988 to 1995. He joined Wilcox & Savage as an associate and became a partner in January 1992, specializing in commercial, constitutional, and insurance defense litigation. Goodwyn became a member of the Virginia Bar Association in 1993. He was sworn in by chief justice Leroy R. Hassell Sr. October 18, 2007. Although his appointment was immediate, the Virginia General Assembly had to confirm Goodwyn for a full twelve-year term. On that day, the General Assembly unanimously appointed Goodwyn to a twelve-year term.

In January 2020, he was reappointed to another twelve-year term on the Supreme Court.

Awards and honors The Virginia Bar Association presented Goodwyn with its highest honor, the Gerald L. Baliles Distinguished Service Award, at its annual meeting in January 2025.

Personal life In 1985, Goodwyn married Sharon Smith, the sister of Goodwyn's roommate's girlfriend at Harvard. She is a lawyer who graduated from Harvard University and the University of Virginia School of Law in 1988. They have two children, Sarah Elizabeth Goodwyn and Samuel Jared Goodwyn.

Goodwyn was a deacon at the Galilee Baptist Church in Branchville, Virginia. He is a member of Sigma Pi Phi, Omega Psi Phi, and Prince Hall Masons.