Chief Justice Leroy Hassell was the first African-American to serve as chief justice of the Virginia Supreme Court and served in that role until a few weeks before his death at 55 in February 2011. Throughout his lifetime and legal career, Leroy was a fierce advocate of the courts being open and accessible to everyone, regardless of race, language, or disability. He was a full-throated advocate for the Virginia State Bar to offer legal research as a member benefit to members — even in the face of the threat of a lawsuit to enjoin the state’s efforts to create the benefit.
