Supreme Court of Virginia

The Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest court of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It mainly hears direct appeals in civil cases from the circuit courts of the cities and counties, together with criminal, family and administrative cases that first go to the Court of Appeals of Virginia. It was established in 1779 as the Supreme Court of Appeals and is one of the oldest continuously active judicial bodies in the United States. Its roots lie in the seventeenth century English legal system brought to Jamestown, in the colonial Quarter Court created in 1623 and the General Court of 1661. The Supreme Court of Appeals first met at Williamsburg on August 30, 1779, and soon moved to Richmond. Edmund Pendleton was chosen as its first president, and George Wythe and John Blair Jr. were among its first members. The court did not issue written opinions until 1788.