Bill to add 7th Prince William judge, ease case load awaits governor’s signature

A new bill awaiting the governor’s signature would give Prince William County a seventh Circuit Court judge.

Today, Senator Scott Surovell (D-36, Fairfax, Prince William, Stafford) announced the passage of SB 6, his bill to raise the number of judges in the 31st Judicial Circuit from six to seven. The legislation came at the recommendation of the Supreme Court of Virginia Committee on District Courts and passed the House of Delegates unanimously, according to a press release from the Senator.

“I am thankful to the House of Delegates for their overwhelming support of this crucial legislation” Surovell said. “I look forward to Governor Youngkin signing this bipartisan bill to help clear the docket, and ensure justice is served fairly and efficiently for the diverse and growing population of Prince William County.”

The legislation was steered through the House by Delegate Luke Torian. “Thanks to this legislation, Prince William County’s Circuit Court is going to receive some much-needed relief,” Torian stated in a press release.

On October 19, 2021, Prince William County’s six circuit court judges, Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth, Clerk of Court Jacqueline Smith, and Chief Public Defender Tracey Lenox sent a 113-page request to the Virginia General Assembly’s House and Senate judiciary committees requesting the addition of a seventh judge.

In the letter, Chief Circuit Court Judge Kimberly Irving wrote “The Court is handling more cases, spending longer hours on the bench and even sending cases away on their scheduled court dates because six judges are not enough, working all day, to hear the scheduled cases.”

She added “Our current crisis has been building since 2015, and it will only continue to get worse as the population increases and caseloads continue to grow,” the press release states.

The bill now heads to the Governor Glenn Youngkin’s desk.