Collections : [Virginia State Law Library, Supreme Court of Virginia]

Primarily records pertaining to research for the commemoration of the bicentennial of the establishment of the court, celebrated in 1979; and the court reorganization study, 1973-1977. Records include a memo to the Executive Secretary summarizing research to determine the date the court was established; a copy of a letter from Justice Lewis Powell to Chief Justice Warren I'Anson asking question about the court's history, copies of reference sources on the court's history, drafts of the speech delivered at the commemoration of the bicentennial, and drafts of the annual report and court statistics for 1977.

The collection contains audio recordings of Supreme Court of Virginia ceremonies, 1969-2005; and Court of Appeals of Virginia ceremonies, 1985-1989. The ceremonies took place in the courtrooms of the Supreme Court of Virginia and the Court of Appeals of Virginia in Richmond.

Contains video recordings of Hassell's annual message, delivered at the Virginia Judiciary Conferences in Roanoke, 2007; Williamsburg, 2008; Roanoke, 2009 May 11-13; and Norfolk, 2010 May 10-12.

Correspondence, memos, research, minutes, clippings, and draft revisions of the Virginia circuit court judges benchbooks (civil and criminal). The bulk of the records document the work of the Circuit Court Judges' Benchbook Committee from 2000 to 2011.

The collection contains correspondence files of the Office of the Clerk, Supreme Court of Virginia, documenting the Clerk's role in managing the records of the Court, maintaining communication with justices in their offices across the state, and managing administrative issues, especially during the period 1933 to 1952. The collection also contains records documenting the ceremonial history of the court.

The collection consists of the correspondence of Abner W.C. Terry (eight letters, 1842-1851) about a court case involving the estate of Abner W. Clopton, Terry's grandfather; and a document from a related chancery cause filed in Pittsylvania county circa 1851. The Charlotte County case, Colombian College v. Clopton's Administrators, etc., was decided in Terry's favor in 1843 and appealed to the Court of Appeals in 1850. The court upheld the decision of the lower court, ruling that Clopton's bond to the college was not binding because the conditions of the bond were not met before Clopton died. The correspondence includes two letters from noted Richmond attorney Conway Robinson explaining the legal strategy he planned to use in arguing the case before the Court of Appeals, and advice to Terry about resolving remaining legal issues among the heirs in the case.

Primarily records, 1973-1974, documenting the organization of a unified court system in Virginia; contains correspondence of Executive Secretary Hubert Bennett, Assistant Executive Secretary Fred Hodnett, and Attorney General Andrew Miller pertaining to the proposed legislative changes. Also includes two folders of correspondence and draft legislation pertaining to creation of an intermediate appellate court, 1982-1984; Committee on District Court minutes, April 15, 1974 and September 30, 2010, meeting agenda and materials April 15, 2011; and Futures Commission recommendations, April 1990.

The case file contains Judge Millette's notes about the case, copies of court orders and motions, case law and legal research, including an appendix pertaining to Muhammad's motion to declare the death penalty unconstitutional; and correspondence pertaining to the case.