Elizabeth B. Lacy
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Bermingham Lacy (born 1945 in South Carolina
) is a Virginia jurist and was the first woman named to the Virginia State Corporation Commission
and subsequently was the first woman named to be a Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia
. Lacy is a graduate of St. Mary's College at Notre Dame and the University of Texas law school. She also received an LL.M. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1992. Lacy practiced law in Texas before moving to Virginia.
Prior to her appointment to the SCC by Governor Charles S. Robb, Lacy was the state Deputy Attorney General for Judicial Affairs, a division that prosecutes consumer protection violations, oversees the state's antitrust laws, state regulations and conflict of interest statutes. She was succeeded on the SCC by Del. Theodore V. Morrison Jr., a member of the General Assembly and a lawyer from Newport News, Virginia
.
Lacy was appointed to the Supreme Court by Gov. Gerald L. Baliles
on November 22, 1988. Her appointment was later confirmed by the General Assembly and she was subsequently elected to a second 12-year term. Although by seniority she was the longest serving active member of the Supreme Court when Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico
retired, Lacy did not succeed him as Chief Justice. Although the Chief Justice was previously the senior active member of the Court, a change in the law prior to the former Chief Justice Carrico's retirement provided that in future the Chief Justice would be selected by an election of the Court members for a four-year term. Chief Justice Leroy Rountree Hassell, Sr.
, then second in seniority to Justice Lacy, was elected Chief Justice under this new procedure and is presently serving his second term as Chief Justice.
Justice Lacy retired and took senior status effective August 16, 2007.
The Library of Virginia
honored her as one of the eight Virginia Women in History for 2008.
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
) is a Virginia jurist and was the first woman named to the Virginia State Corporation Commission
State Corporation Commission
The State Corporation Commission, or SCC, is a Virginia regulatory agency whose authority encompasses utilities, insurance, state-chartered financial institutions, securities, retail franchising, and railroads...
and subsequently was the first woman named to be a Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia
Supreme Court of Virginia
The Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears appeals from the trial-level city and county Circuit Courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and administrative law cases that go through the Court of Appeals of Virginia. It is one of...
. Lacy is a graduate of St. Mary's College at Notre Dame and the University of Texas law school. She also received an LL.M. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1992. Lacy practiced law in Texas before moving to Virginia.
Prior to her appointment to the SCC by Governor Charles S. Robb, Lacy was the state Deputy Attorney General for Judicial Affairs, a division that prosecutes consumer protection violations, oversees the state's antitrust laws, state regulations and conflict of interest statutes. She was succeeded on the SCC by Del. Theodore V. Morrison Jr., a member of the General Assembly and a lawyer from Newport News, Virginia
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
.
Lacy was appointed to the Supreme Court by Gov. Gerald L. Baliles
Gerald L. Baliles
Gerald L. Baliles was the 65th Governor of Virginia and is the director of the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia...
on November 22, 1988. Her appointment was later confirmed by the General Assembly and she was subsequently elected to a second 12-year term. Although by seniority she was the longest serving active member of the Supreme Court when Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico
Harry L. Carrico
Harry Lee Carrico is the former Chief Justice and a current Senior Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia. His tenure as an active Justice of the Court, at more than 42 years, is the longest term of any Justice in the Court's history...
retired, Lacy did not succeed him as Chief Justice. Although the Chief Justice was previously the senior active member of the Court, a change in the law prior to the former Chief Justice Carrico's retirement provided that in future the Chief Justice would be selected by an election of the Court members for a four-year term. Chief Justice Leroy Rountree Hassell, Sr.
Leroy Rountree Hassell, Sr.
Leroy Rountree Hassell, Sr. was a Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court and the first African-American Chief Justice of that Court, serving two four-year terms from February 1, 2003 to January 31, 2011. He was succeeded by the current Chief Justice, Cynthia D. Kinser...
, then second in seniority to Justice Lacy, was elected Chief Justice under this new procedure and is presently serving his second term as Chief Justice.
Justice Lacy retired and took senior status effective August 16, 2007.
The Library of Virginia
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, is the library agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia, its archival agency, and the reference library at the seat of government. The Library moved into a new building in 1997 and is located at 800 East Broad Street, 2 blocks from the Virginia State...
honored her as one of the eight Virginia Women in History for 2008.