VLW reports that the Supreme Court of Virginia has elected Cynthia Kinser to serve as its next Chief Justice. Her term begins on February 1, 2011. The Court’s press release is available here.

Our heartiest congratulations go out to the Court’s first female Chief Justice for this richly deserved honor.

As longtime readers have likely intuited, Chief Justice-elect Kinser is something of a favorite in this corner of the googlesphere because (1) she is really, really smart, (2) she hails from SW Virginia, and (3) she is absolutely terrifying at oral argument. We join current Chief Justice Hassell in his confidence that she’ll serve as Chief Justice with the highest distinction.