Bill adding 7th PWC judge heads to Governor’s desk

State Sen. Scott Surovell, who represents part of Prince William County, has announced the passage of SB 6, his bill to raise the number of Justices in the 31st Judicial Circuit from six to seven.  The circuit includes Prince William County and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.

The legislation came at the recommendation of the Supreme Court of Virginia Committee on District Courts and passed the House of Delegates by a vote of 99-0, Surovell said.

“I am thankful to the House of Delegates for their overwhelming support of this crucial legislation” Surovell said. “I look forward to Governor Youngkin signing this bipartisan bill to help clear the docket, and ensure justice is served fairly and efficiently for the diverse and growing population of Prince William County.”

The legislation was steered through the House by Prince William Delegate Luke Torian. “Thanks to this legislation, Prince William County’s Circuit Court is going to receive some much-needed relief,” Torian said.

On Oct. 19, 2021, Prince William County’s six circuit court judges, Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth, Clerk of Court Jacqueline Smith, and Chief Public Defender Tracey Lenox sent a 113-page request to the Virginia General Assembly’s House and Senate judiciary committees requesting the addition of the seventh judge.

In the letter, Chief Circuit Court Judge Kimberly Irving wrote “The Court is handling more cases, spending longer hours on the bench and even sending cases away on their scheduled court dates because six judges are not enough, working all day, to hear the scheduled cases.”

She added “Our current crisis has been building since 2015, and it will only continue to get worse as the population increases and caseloads continue to grow.”