The Supreme Court of Virginia handed down 19 opinions in November. 17 were unanimous, one was split 4-3 (Cordon v. Commonwealth) and the other was split 5-2 (Town of Leesburg v. Giordano).

For those who are interested–namely, me–here is a quick breakdown of the November opinions by justice:

Chief Justice Hassell

  • Votes cast: 17
  • In majority: 17 (100%)
  • In majority in split cases: 1/1 (100%)
  • Opinions written: 1 (Heinrich Schepers GmBH & Co. v. Whittaker)

Justice Koontz

  • Votes cast: 19
  • In majority: 19 (100%)
  • In majority in split cases: 2/2 (100%)
  • Opinions written: 3 (Sidney v. Commonwealth, Hood v.Commonwealth, Carosi v. Commonwealth)

Justice Kinser

  • Votes cast: 19
  • In majority: 18 (95%)
  • In majority in split cases: 1/2 (50%)
  • Opinions written: 3 (TB Venture v. Arlington County, Cordon v. Commonwealth  (dissent), Hall v. Commonwealth)

Justice Lemons

  • Votes cast: 19
  • In majority: 18 (95%)
  • In majority in split cases: 1/2 (50%)
  • Opinions written: 1 (Perry v. Commonwealth)

Justice Goodwyn

  • Votes cast: 18
  • In majority: 18 (100%)
  • In majority in split cases: 1/1 (100%)
  • Opinions written: 1 (FFW Enterprises v. Fairfax County)

Justice Millette

  • Votes cast: 19
  • In majority: 18 (95%)
  • In majority in split case: 1/2 (50%)
  • Opinions written: 2 (Town of Leesburg v. Giordano, Banks v. Commonwealth)

Justice Mims

  • Votes cast: 8
  • In majority: 7 (88%)
  • In majority in split cases: 0/1 (0%)
  • Opinions written: 3 (McGhee v. Commonwealth, Conger v. Barrett, Jones v. Williams)

Senior Justice Carrico

  • Votes cast: 3
  • In majority: 3 (100%)
  • In majority in split cases: 1/1 (100%)
  • Opinions written: 1 (Carroll v. Commonwealth)

Senior Justice Russell

  • Votes cast: 6
  • In majority: 5 (83%)
  • In majority in split cases: 0/1 (0%)
  • Opinions written: 4 (Town of Leesburg v.Giordano (dissent), Bly v. Commonwealth, Ali v. Commonwealth, Sullivan v. Commonwealth)

Senior Justice Lacy

  • Votes cast: 5
  • In majority: 5 (100%)
  • In majority in split cases: 1/1 (100%)
  • Opinions written: 2 (Gheorgiu v. Commonwealth, Cordon v. Commonwealth)

Takeaway: Justice Koontz wins the session, casting 19 votes and being the only justice to go 2-for-2 in split decisions this session.

The November sample is too small to be meaningful, but if folks are interested I’ll keep track of the figures going forward. It could be interesting to watch what happens as the Court’s makeup changes.

Also, I am not so good with the numbers and the maths. If you can think of better metrics than the ones in this post, please let me know and I’ll be glad to track them.