Virginia legislators elect 2 Supreme Court justices

RICHMOND — The General Assembly on Friday elected two new justices to the state Supreme Court, elevated a lower court judge to the state Court of Appeals and elected two other judges.

The Supreme Court vacancies were created after two recent departures. Former Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons retired in February, and Justice William Mims did not seek reappointment when his 12-year term ended in March.

The spots have been vacant for months because leaders of the Democrat-controlled Senate and GOP-controlled House could not agree on how much sway each side should have in picking the new nominees and backfilling subsequent vacancies.

The new Supreme Court justices are Thomas Mann, who has served as a Circuit Court judge in Fairfax County since 2016; and Wesley G. Russell Jr., a Virginia native who has served on the Virginia Court of Appeals since 2015.

Mann spent a decade as a Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court judge before becoming a Circuit Court judge.

Mann graduated from the American University law school.

Russell, 51, worked as a deputy attorney general in the civil litigation division of the Virginia Office of the Attorney General before being elected to the Court of Appeals. Before that, he was a partner at the law firm of McSweeney, Crump, Childress & Temple. He earned his law degree from George Mason University School of Law in 1995.

Kimberley S. White, of Halifax, a Circuit Court judge for the 10th Judicial District, was elevated to fill Russell’s spot on the Court of Appeals.

Manuel Capsalis, a judge in Fairfax County General District Court since 2015, was elected as a Circuit Court judge, while attorney Dipti Pidikiti-Smith, of Fairfax, was elected to serve as a judge in General District Court in the 19th District.