Harry L. Carrico

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Harry Lee Carrico (born September 4, 1916, in Fauquier County, Virginia) 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 presently the longest term of any Justice in the Court's history. Moreover, because current law requires active Judges and Justices in Virginia to retire or take senior status on or shortly after their seventieth birthdays, it is likely that Justice Carrico's longevity record will remain unchallenged.

Justice Carrico attended Fairfax County, Virginia public schools and received his undergraduate and law degrees from George Washington University. He began his legal career as an associate in the law firm of Rust & Rust, Fairfax (1941-43); he was then appointed to serve as a trial justice and judge of Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court (1943-51); he returned to the private practice of law (1951-56). In 1956 he was made a judge of the Fairfax County Circuit Court. He was elevated to the Supreme Court in 1961, serving as a justice until 1981 when, by virture of seniority, he became Chief Justice (the Chief Justice is no longer selected by seniority, but is elected by the Justices to a four-year term). During his tenure as Chief Justice, he served as President of the Conference of Chief Justices from 1989-90. He retired from active service in 2003 and took senior status. He was succeeded as Chief Justice by Leroy Rountree Hassell, Sr., the first black Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia. The vacancy created by his retirement was filled by G. Steven Agee, a former member of the General Assembly.