In a historic first, the Virginia Court of Appeals will have five Black members reviewing lower court decisions.

Doris Henderson Causey, the managing attorney for Central Virginia Legal Aid Society’s Richmond office, is among the eight new jurists the General Assembly elected this week to the appeals court that examines circuit court decisions to determine if any errors were made in trials.

The new jurists also include two other Black women attorneys and a Black judge from Norfolk.

The General Assembly also elected two Black attorneys to the courts in Chesterfield County and filled a seat on the Richmond Circuit Court bench.

Currently, the Virginia Court of Appeals has 11 judges, though there is an existing vacancy. Of the 10 sitting judges listed on the court’s website, nine are white and only three are women, including the lone African-American, Judge Mary B. Malveaux of Henrico County.

The court is being expanded to 17 members as a result of legislative action earlier this year. The new judges will fill six new slots and two vacancies, including the existing one and one to come.

The General Assembly changed the rules and passed legislation that for the first time grants parties in criminal and civil cases an automatic right of appeal to this court. That opened the door to a potential flood of new cases and prompted the court’s expansion.

To the dismay of Republicans, Democratic majorities in the state Senate and House of Delegates gathered behind closed doors to interview and vet proposed candidates, with the results announced Monday.

Mrs. Causey, a Henrico resident, is the lone pick from the Richmond area. In 2017, she was the first African-American and first legal aid lawyer to become president of the Virginia State Bar, the agency that regulates the legal profession in Virginia. She held the post for a year.

The other new Black judges on the appeals court include Norfolk Circuit Court Judge Junius P. Fulton III, who led the development of the Norfolk Drug and Re-entry courts, and two other women attorneys, Dominique A. Callins of Front Royal and Vernida R. Chaney of Alexandria.

Other new members of the court are Lisa M. Lorish of Charlottesville, an assistant federal public defender; Fairfax Circuit Court Judge Daniel E. Ortiz; and Stuart A. Raphael of Arlington, a former Virginia solicitor general who handled appellate cases and is now with Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP.

The final new judge is Frank K. Friedman, a Roanoke attorney who has specialized in filing appeals in state and federal courts.

House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn hailed the choices that she noted stem from “the unprecedented review and coordination between the House and the Senate that has resulted in the selection of the most diverse and qualified candidates to be elected to the Court of Appeals.”

Sen. Majority Leader Richard Saslaw and Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Mamie Locke also were bullish on the choices. In a joint statement, they noted, “Expanding the Court of Appeals was a major victory for justice in the Commonwealth,” and stated those selected will ensure the court has the “experienced, diverse, knowledgeable and forward-thinking” jurists to ensure that trials in the state are conducted fairly.

Virginia Legislative Black Caucus members called the election of the new judges “a historic step forward in making our legal system more equitable.”

Sen. L. Louise Lucas of Portsmouth, the president pro tempore of the state Senate, said the court’s current makeup of mostly white men and former prosecutors was not reflective of the Commonwealth.

“We elected an unprecedented level of diversity to the bench,” said House Majority Leader Charniele Herring of Alexandria. “This process engaged the public, experts, and members from both chambers, and I think we have a great deal to be excited about as the justice landscape in Virginia continues to tilt toward inclusion. ...I look forward to the work ahead to make our justice system one that works for all Virginians.”

Delegate Don Scott of Portsmouth said more than 20 African-American judges have been appointed or reappointed to the bench by the General Assembly in the last two years.

In Chesterfield County, months of debate among the county’s General Assembly delegation over filling judicial vacancies was finally settled, with two Black attorneys gaining judicial posts.

One is Curtis E. Hairston Jr. of The Gee Law Firm. He was elected to fill the Chesterfield General District Court vacancy that resulted from the removal of the county’s longest-serving Black judge, Pamela O’Berry, earlier this year.

The other is Travis R. Williams of the Daniels, Williams, Tuck & Ritter law firm. He was elected to the county’s Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court to replace Judge Jayne Ann Pemberton who was elected to fill a vacancy on the Chesterfield Circuit Court.

In Richmond, General District Court Judge Claire G. Cardwell was elected to succeed retiring Circuit Court Judge Beverly W. Snukals. Judge Cardwell’s replacement on the lower court has not been selected.