Governor Kaine Announces Appointment to the College of William and Mary Board of Visitors

RICHMOND – Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced the appointment of the Honorable John Charles Thomas to the College of William and Mary Board of Visitors.  Thomas, a native of Norfolk, will serve the unexpired term of former Delegate Jim Dillard, which ends in June 2009.   

Justice Thomas was the first African-American, as well as the youngest person, ever appointed to the Supreme Court of Virginia when he was selected in 1983.  During his seven year tenure, he wrote almost 200 decisions involving trusts and estates, contracts, torts and real property, and is associated with several thousand appellate rulings.

Thomas is a 1972 graduate of the University of Virginia, and graduated from the University’s law school in 1975.

“Justice Thomas’s personal story, from public housing in Norfolk to the Commonwealth’s highest court of law, is a compelling one,” Governor Kaine said. “His commitment to diversity, opportunity for all, and excellence – from himself and others – is inspiring to all of us. I look forward to many years of valued service from Justice Thomas on the William and Mary Board.”

Thomas currently is a partner at Hunton & Williams, LLP, where he focuses on appellate practice, general litigation, and alternative dispute resolution.

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