Hijacked Democracy: How Political Appointments Keep Virginia’s Courts Corrupt
If you think Virginia’s judges are selected through a fair, independent process, think again.
The appointment of judges in Virginia is not a neutral act of public service. It is a political exercise dominated by insiders, backroom deals, and unaccountable committees. Citizens have been cut out of the process almost entirely — and the result is a court system that answers more to political interests than to the people it is supposed to serve.
The crisis of judicial appointments is not just about lost voting rights. It is about the deliberate entrenchment of power.
This is how democracy in Virginia was hijacked.
A System Designed for Insiders
In Virginia, the General Assembly — the state legislature — holds the exclusive power to appoint and reappoint judges at every level.
On paper, candidates are vetted by committees who are supposed to ensure qualifications and fairness. In reality, these committees are controlled by political forces. Loyalty to political figures, powerful law firms, and entrenched networks often matter far more than merit, fairness, or public trust.
Few ordinary citizens are even aware that these committees exist, let alone how they operate. The process is opaque by design.
No Real Competition
Judicial appointments in Virginia often amount to political favors.
- Judges are picked based on who they know, not what they’ve done.
- Many appointments are uncontested, meaning there are no alternative candidates.
- Incumbent judges are almost always rubber-stamped for reappointment, no matter how many citizen complaints are raised.
If political elites agree on a candidate behind closed doors, there is almost no mechanism for the public to intervene.
This system incentivizes judges to stay in the good graces of politicians — not the people — if they want to keep their seats.
Citizens Locked Out
When a judicial vacancy opens, citizens have no role in submitting nominations, evaluating candidates, or voting on who will wield enormous power over their lives.
Public hearings on judicial reappointments allow for a mere three minutes of public comment per person. But there is no obligation for the General Assembly to respond, acknowledge, or even consider these comments.
For many families who have experienced injustice at the hands of corrupt or incompetent judges, these hearings are an exercise in humiliation. They are asked to relive their trauma in front of officials who have already decided to ignore them.
There is no appeal. There is no real oversight. There is only the cold machinery of insider control.
The Human Cost
Political cronyism in judicial appointments does not just erode public trust. It destroys lives:
- Parents lose custody battles not on facts, but on favoritism.
- Disabled litigants are denied accommodations and due process.
- Victims of abuse are silenced by judges more concerned with clearing their dockets than delivering justice.
- Small businesses are crushed under biased rulings favoring politically connected firms.
When judges are accountable only to politicians, the most vulnerable among us suffer the most.
The Urgent Need for Reform
To restore democracy in Virginia’s courts, we must:
- End exclusive political control over judicial selection.
- Reintroduce public elections for judges.
- Create independent citizen oversight boards for judicial misconduct.
- Demand transparency in the nomination and appointment process.
Real justice demands judges who serve the people — not politicians.
Organizations like Virginia Parents United (VPU) are leading the fight to educate Virginians and demand systemic reform.
The time for silence is over. The time to reclaim our courts has come.
What’s Next
In the next installment of our Broken Bench investigative series, Virginia Bay News will expose how families are given three minutes to plead for justice during judicial reappointments — and why their voices are systematically ignored.
Coming Soon: Three Minutes to Nowhere: The Sham of Judicial Reappointment Hearings.
If you or someone you know has been impacted by Virginia’s broken court system, contact Virginia Bay News Investigations. Your story deserves to be heard.
Virginia Bay News 
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