The Virginia General Assembly on Tuesday appointed Court of Appeals Judge D. Arthur Kelsey as a Justice to the Virginia Supreme Court. Kelsey has served on the Court of Appeals since 2002 and prior to that served as a Circuit Court judge in the Fifth Circuit, which includes Suffolk, Southampton County and Isle of Wight County. Kelsey was elevated to the Supreme Court on a unanimous vote in the House of Delegates and Senate of Virginia. “Judge Kelsey is an experienced, widely-respected and accomplished jurist who will faithfully interpret and defend the law, Constitution of Virginia and Constitution of the United States,” said House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford). “Judge Kelsey received the highest recommendation of the Virginia State Bar and is acknowledged by his peers as a 'very knowledgeable and articulate' appellate judge. Judge Kelsey is a conservative who I am confident will practice judicial self-restraint and interpret the laws as written. I know Judge Kelsey will make an excellent member of the Supreme Court of Virginia.”
Kelsey was first elected to the Fifth Circuit, which includes Suffolk, Southampton County and Isle of Wight County. He attended Old Dominion University and received his law degree from the College of William & Mary.
“Arthur is a man with extraordinary intellect,” said S. Chris Jones (R-Suffolk). “He is acknowledged by his peers as a sound thinker and scholar with a keen ability to understand the law and articulate its application to the cases before him. He is as humble and grateful as any person I have ever met. He is exactly the kind of thoughtful jurist the people of Virginia deserve on the Supreme Court.”