Virginia Senate swiftly confirms judicial nominees, auditor under HJR 476

The Virginia Senate on Jan. 14, 2025, took up House Joint Resolution 476 and confirmed a slate of judicial nominees for circuit, general district, and juvenile and domestic relations courts, appointed members to the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission, and approved the auditor of public accounts.

The action followed a message from the House of Delegates. “The house has agreed to HJR476 relating to judicial elections and certain elective officers and requests the concurrence of the senate,” Delegate Maldonado said in a message read to the Senate.

Senators suspended the rules to take up the joint order and then voted to agree to the resolution and related senate resolutions that placed nominees before the full body. The Senate recorded largely unanimous votes on the measures: suspending the rules and taking up the joint order passed 37–0; the motion to agree to HJR 476 passed 37–0. Subsequent motions to suspend rules and agree to Senate resolutions numbered 205 through 209 — which advanced nominees for circuit courts, general district courts, juvenile and domestic relations district courts, the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission, and the auditor of public accounts — were recorded as passing by voice or roll call, generally 37–0 on the Senate floor.

A committee report on the joint vote-counting process noted the threshold for election: “Number of votes necessary to elect in the House of Delegates, 50. In the Senate, 20,” the clerk reported to the chamber. When the Senate moved to waive the reading of that committee report, the roll was recorded as 36 ayes and 1 no on that specific procedural vote; the transcript does not name the senator who voted no on the reading waiver.

The Senate then recorded roll-call confirmations for each category of nominees under the joint order. For each slate the Senate recorded the ayes as 37 and noes as 0: nominees for circuit courts (as advanced in Senate resolution 205), general district courts (Senate resolution 206), juvenile and domestic relations district courts (Senate resolution 207), members of the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission (Senate resolution 208), and the auditor of public accounts (Senate resolution 209).

The chair appointed Senators Perry, Salim, and Jordan as the Senate’s committee to count and report votes in each case. After the committee returned and the clerk read the report, the Senate declared the persons named in the report duly elected or appointed to their respective offices for the terms set forth under the joint order and resolutions.

These confirmations were taken up during the morning hour and completed without extended floor debate. The Senate recessed and later adjourned until 12 noon the following day.

Votes at a glance: HJR 476 (message from House) — rules suspended to take up: 37–0; HJR 476 agreed to: 37–0. Senate resolution 205 (circuit court nominees) — agreed to: 37–0. Senate resolution 206 (general district court nominees) — agreed to: 37–0. Senate resolution 207 (juvenile and domestic relations nominees) — agreed to: 37–0. Senate resolution 208 (Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission nominees) — agreed to: 37–0. Senate resolution 209 (auditor of public accounts nominee) — agreed to: 37–0. One procedural motion to waive the reading of the committee report was recorded as 36 ayes, 1 no (no name provided in the transcript).

The Senate’s actions filled or advanced judicial and oversight positions under the joint order; the transcript does not list individual nominees by name on the floor apart from the resolution numbers and the joint order reference.