Clifford Lynwood "Clay" Athey Jr. (born September 1, 1960) is an American politician and jurist. He served as a member of the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

from 2002 to 2012. He has served as a judge of the

Virginia Court of Appeals The Court of Appeals of Virginia, established January 1, 1985, is an intermediate appellate court of 17 judges that hears appeals from decisions of Virginia's circuit courts and the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission. The Court sits in pa ...

since 2019.

Early life and education

Athey was born in 1960 in

Front Royal, Virginia Front Royal is the only incorporated town in Warren County, Virginia, United States. The population was estimated at 15,400 as of 2023. It is the county seat of Warren County. History The entire Shenandoah Valley including the area to beco ...

. He graduated from Warren County High School in 1978. He received an

Associate of Arts An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

business administration Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

from Lord Fairfax Community College in 1988, a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

from

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a Public university, public research university in Richmond, Virginia, United States. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virgin ...

in 1990 and a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the

University of Dayton School of Law The University of Dayton School of Law (UDSL) is a private law school located in Dayton, Ohio at Keller Hall. It is affiliated with the University of Dayton, which is a Catholic university of the Society of Mary. The school is accredited by the ...

in 1993.

Career

Virginia House of Delegates

Athey is a former Republican member of the

2002–2011. During his 10 years in the House of Delegates, he represented the 18th district, made up of Warren County and parts of Fauquier and Frederick Counties.

State court service

In 2012, Governor

Bob McDonnell Robert Francis McDonnell (born June 15, 1954) is an American politician, attorney, businessman, academic administrator, and former military officer who served as the 71st governor of Virginia from 2010 to 2014. He is a member of the Republica ...

appointed him a judge of the 26th Judicial Circuit, covering

Clarke Clarke is a surname which means "clerk". The surname is of English and Irish origin and comes from the Latin . Variants include Clerk and Clark. Clarke is also uncommonly chosen as a given name. Irish surname origin Clarke is a common surname ...

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Given name Nobility = Anhalt-Harzgerode = * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) = Austria = * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...

Page Page most commonly refers to: * Page (paper), one side of a leaf of paper, as in a book Page, PAGE, pages, or paging may also refer to: Roles * Page (assistance occupation), a professional occupation * Page (servant), traditionally a young m ...

, Rockingham, Shenandoah and

Warren Warren most commonly refers to: * Warren (burrow), a network dug by rabbits * Warren (name), a given name and a surname, including lists of persons so named Warren may also refer to: Places Australia * Warren (biogeographic region) * War ...

counties and the cities of Harrisonburg and

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

in the northern part of the state.

Appointment to Virginia Court of Appeals

On February 16, 2019, he was appointed by the Virginia General Assembly for a seat on the

vacated by

Teresa M. Chafin Teresa Marlene Chafin (born October 4, 1955) is a justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia. Education Chafin is a native of Russell County and the sister of the late state senator Ben Chafin. She received her undergraduate degree from Emory an ...

, who was appointed to the Virginia Supreme Court.

Personal life

Athey is married to Stacey Lynne Knox and has two children, Madagan and Clayton.

References

External links

* * * * 1960 births Living people 21st-century American judges Judges of the Court of Appeals of Virginia Members of the Virginia House of Delegates People from Front Royal, Virginia University of Dayton alumni Virginia Commonwealth University alumni Virginia lawyers Virginia Republicans Virginia state court judges 21st-century members of the Virginia General Assembly {{Virginia-delegate-stub