Following the lead of Chesterfield County’s 10-member state legislative delegation, the General Assembly has elected two Black male lawyers and one white female lawyer to Chesterfield judgeships that are vacant or soon will be vacant in a move to increase diversity on the bench.
During the assembly’s special session last week, the Senate and House separately voted to elevate Chesterfield Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Judge Jayne Pemberton to Chesterfield Circuit Court; elect Curtis Hairston, a partner of the Gee Law Firm specializing in personal injury cases, to Chesterfield General District Court; and to elect Travis Williams, a veteran defense attorney with more than a dozen years of experience as a substitute judge, to fill Pemberton’s seat in Chesterfield’s Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.
Pemberton will replace Circuit Judge T.J. Hauler, who retired in December 2019, and Hairston will replace former General District Court Judge Pamela O’Berry, whose term expired March 31 after she was denied a third six-year term after a contentious debate about her performance. At the time, she was one of only two Black judges in Chesterfield.
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The judicial elections brought to a close a sometimes bitter power play among several members of Chesterfield’s legislative delegation who jostled to get their preferred candidates approved. The delegation apparently didn’t unify on the candidates until just before the assembly gathered in a special session that began on Aug. 2.
Two legislators in particular — Sen. Joe Morrissey, D-Richmond, and Del. Delores McQuinn, D-Richmond, both of whom serve parts of Chesterfield — were nearly always at odds.
During the legislature’s 2020 session, McQuinn and Del. Lashrecse Aird, D-Petersburg, derailed a bipartisan consensus to elevate Pemberton to circuit court and elect family law attorney Tara Hatcher to juvenile and domestic relations court. McQuinn and Aird favored O’Berry for circuit court and Hairston to fill O’Berry’s seat.
Then during this year’s session, Morrissey successfully led an effort to block O’Berry’s re-election to general district court. McQuinn, a strong supporter of O’Berry, then refused to back Morrissey’s proposal to elect Pemberton to circuit court, Hairston to general district court and Shameka Harris, who is Black and works as a family law attorney, to fill Pemberton’s seat in the juvenile and domestic relations court.
In early July, the Chesterfield Bar Association voted to endorse Hairston and Williams as being “highly qualified” for judgeships in general district and juvenile and domestic relations courts, respectively. The bar had previously endorsed Pemberton as being “highly qualified” for circuit court.
“Although it has been a circuitous process, we finally have, after two years, a superb trio of judges that will take their respective place on the Chesterfield County bench,” said Morrissey, who led the effort to nominate candidates the delegation could unanimously support, in an email. “Judge Pemberton and Messrs Hairston and Williams are truly reflective of a diverse Chesterfield County.”
Pemberton will begin work on Sept. 1, and Williams and Hairston will take the bench on Oct. 1.
Morrissey said that after Shannon Heard, who serves as judicial selection administrator for Virginia’s Division of Legislative Services, issued a notice that a judgeship in Chesterfield Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court would open should Pemberton be elevated, he hosted a Zoom conference with several members of the county’s delegation, and they vetted eight candidates for the seat.
“The delegation [then] communicated with each other and there was a unanimous decision to elevate Judge Pemberton to the circuit court, and appoint Curtis Hairston to the general district court and Travis Williams to the J&DR Court,” Morrissey said.
The names were forwarded to Heard, and on Aug. 10, the Senate Judiciary and the House Courts of Justice committees each certified those three candidates to their respective bodies. The Senate and House then voted to elect the three candidates to their respective judicial positions.
Reached on Monday, Williams said he has started to wind down his private practice in preparation for his Oct. 1 start as a judge.
“Being a judge has been a goal of mine, especially wanting to serve in the juvenile court,” said Williams, who on occasion has served as a substitute judge over the past 18 years.
Similarly, Hairston said Monday that serving as a judge has been one of his goals “for a long time. I’m pleased for the appointment.”
Pemberton, who has served as a Chesterfield Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court judge since December 2014, said she is “very thankful for the opportunity to serve the people” as a circuit court judge.
With the new appointments, three of Chesterfield’s 17 judges in the county’s three courts are now African American, and three are women.