Richmond judge Marchant retires, judges promoted

Judge W. Reilly Marchant, nicknamed Ry, was elected by the Legislature to the Richmond District Court in 2015. He assumed the position of chief justice in 2020, serving consecutive two-year terms.

Chief judges deal with the most important court cases and manage the day-to-day activities of district courts and common district courts.

Marchant’s seat on the circuit court is being filled by Judge Devika E. Davis, who will be transferring from the lower circuit court.

Judges in Virginia are appointed by the legislature. Davis’ nomination was approved by the Legislature on March 7. Davis has served on the general district bench since June 2021.

Current District Court Judge Jacqueline S. McClenney will take over as chief judge on July 1.

Marchant, 71, had never served as a general district court judge, but took the position with a wealth of experience gained over 25 years as an associate judge. This work began in 1989. Associate judges are called upon to hear cases in which the court’s full-time judges may have a conflict of interest.

“Even though I haven’t served as a general district court judge, I feel like I have about the same experience as someone who has because I’ve been on these courts for so long,” Marchant said.

Marchant also was in private practice as a partner at Marchant, Thorsen, Honey, Baldwin & Meyer. In this position, the majority of his responsibilities were in civil matters, including family law, employment disputes, commercial transactions and real estate closings.

Taking over as a judge in 2015 required Marchant to catch up on criminal law, although he had heard a wide variety of cases during his nine years as a district court judge.

In his opinion, the most symbolic incident of his time in the robes involved the controversial Robert E. Lee statue on Richmond’s Monument Avenue.

In June 2020, Governor Ralph Northam ordered the statue removed. The decision came a few weeks after the murder of George Floyd by police in Minnesota.

Some city residents opposed this decision, suing Northam for violating an 1889 law requiring the state to care for the statue. Marchant ruled the statue could be removed, provided the litigants could appeal the decision before taking any action on the 21-foot statue.

Marchant’s reflections attracted the attention of national media. The attention was unwelcome, said Marchant, who says he prefers an understated look. He stands by his decision as sound legal analysis, not a partisan decision in the heat of the culture war conflict.

Marchant’s ruling was later strengthened by a unanimous vote of the Supreme Court of Virginia.

A few months later, Marchant took over as chief justice. In the days that followed, Richmond’s courtrooms filled with an extraordinary series of murder trials – intense, workload-heavy endeavors that could take a week or longer.

“From October 2020 to spring 2021, there were probably 75 judges on trial,” Marchant said. “I know many jurisdictions have tried one, two, three or none. So we were really proud of ourselves.”

As for his latest work, Marchant expressed some sadness about the type of crime that continually appears in Richmond courtrooms. He said drug crime remains a common thread in most criminal court cases.

Marchant also presided over the trial of Amari Pollard, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for fatally shooting Shawn Jackson at Huguenot High School’s 2023 graduation.

Local attorney Steven Benjamin was a classmate of Marchant’s at the University of Richmond Law School. Benjamin said Marchant brought good judgment, experience and a steady temperament to the bench.

“We were taught that these were the characteristics of a good judge, and he embodied each of them. He is definitely too young to retire and we will miss him,” Benjamin said.

While a judge, Marchant also earned money as a restaurateur. In 2005, he opened the restaurant formerly known as Six Burner, now renamed Heritage. He sold Six Burner in 2012.

In 2011, Marchant opened Pasture, which operated until 2019. In 2017, Pasture gained statewide recognition.

“I loved the restaurant business,” Marchant said. “My routine was to (replace umpire) in the morning and usually finish around noon, and then I would usually go to the restaurant. Not that I necessarily had to do much, but I liked it. I wanted to see what was going on.

Marchant has not shared any plans to return to that world. Instead, he said he would engage in civil mediation with McCammon. Several other retired judges already work for the company.