Kaine appoints College alums to high courts

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine appointed Leroy F. Millette Jr. ’71 J.D. ’74 to the Supreme Court of Virginia last month. Millette has 33 years of experience as a judge and attorney in Virginia.

Previously, Millette has served on the Court of Appeals, a position Kaine appointed him to in 2007. Before that, he was a circuit court judge in Prince William County. He has also been a professor at Northern Virginia Community College since 1976.

During his undergraduate years at the College of William and Mary, Millette majored in economics.

“I enjoyed William and Mary for a number of reasons,” Millette said. “Majoring in economics was excellent preparation for law school, and I enjoyed the people a lot.”

Millette said the College’s small size benefitted his education.

“It gave you the opportunity to feel like a real part of the school community,” he said. “The College is intellectually challenging and gives you the opportunity to grow up and mature.”

Millette has presided over a number of high-profile cases, including the infamous Bobbitt trial of 1994, during which a woman was tried for cutting off more than half of her husband’s genitals after enduring years of sexual abuse.

Millette also presided over the sniper trials of 2002, in which John Allen Muhammad was tried for the shooting of 10 people in the Northern Virginia area.

“The Muhammad case was certainly a defining moment in my career,” Millette said. “It was the moment that got the most attention. I wanted to do everything to make sure he got a fair trial.”

Gordon Hickey, spokesman of the office of the Governor, noted Millette’s handling of the sniper trial and his breadth of experience as reasons for his appointment.

“Millette is an imminently qualified judge, and he will certainly do a great job,” Hickey said.

Millette’s appointment is subject to confirmation by the General Assembly when they reconvene in January.

Kaine also appointed Jan Lois Brodie ’69 to the Fairfax County Circuit Court.

Brodie majored in modern languages at the College and earned her master’s degree in education from San Jose State University and her J.D. from the George Mason University School of Law in 1986.

Brodie previously served as deputy county attorney in the Office of the County Attorney in Fairfax County. She joined the office in 1988 as an assistant county attorney in the Land Use Section, and became deputy county attorney in 2006.

“Judge Brodie will do an excellent job in her position,” Hickey said.

Brodie could not be reached for comment.

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