Virginia Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons has announced to the Supreme Court of Virginia that he will step down as chief justice, effective Dec. 31, 2021.

The justices of the court have elected Justice S. Bernard Goodwyn as Lemons’ successor. Chief Justice-elect Goodwyn will assume office on Jan. 1, 2022.

Lemons has served at every level of the court system in Virginia. He was a substitute judge in General District Court and in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. In 1995, he was elected by the General Assembly to be a circuit judge in the City of Richmond. Three years later, the General Assembly tapped him as judge for the Court of Appeals of Virginia. In 2000, he was elected by the General Assembly to the Supreme Court.

Lemons served as president of the American Inns of Court from 2010 to 2014, and is an Honorary Bencher of Middle Temple in London. Two years ago, he was awarded the American Inns of Court Lewis F. Powell Jr. Award for Professionalism and Ethics.

He joined the VBA in 2001 and in 2018 was honored with the Gerald L. Baliles Jr. Distinguished Service Award, the VBA's highest honor. The award is given in recognition and appreciation of exceptional service and contributions to the bar and public at large.

Goodwyn was appointed to the high court in 2007 by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and was elected by the General Assembly to the Supreme Court a year later. Previously, he served as both a general district judge and a circuit judge for the City of Chesapeake. Before going on the bench, he served as a research associate professor at the University of Virginia law school and as a litigation partner at a Norfolk law firm.

He earned an undergraduate degree from Harvard University, magna cum laude, in 1983 and a law degree from the University of Virginia three years later.