Jane Marum Roush (born September 24, 1956) is an American lawyer and judge who served as an interim Justice of the

Supreme Court of Virginia The Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears direct appeals in civil cases from the trial-level city and county circuit courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and administrativ ...

from 2015 to 2016. On July 27, 2015, Governor

Terry McAuliffe Terence Richard McAuliffe (born February 9, 1957) is an American businessman and politician who served as the List of governors of Virginia, 72nd governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat ...

announced his appointment of Roush to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice LeRoy F. Millette Jr. effective July 31, 2015. Under the

Constitution of Virginia The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia is the document that defines and limits the powers of the state government and the basic rights of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Like all other state constitutions, it is supreme ...

, this original interim appointment was to expire thirty days after the commencement of the next session of the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, and the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established on July 30, ...

, unless the legislature elected her to a full twelve-year term. On August 17, 2015, the General Assembly convened in special session but failed to elect anyone to the full twelve-year term before the

Senate of Virginia The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Vir ...

purported to adjourn sine die. The Constitution prohibits one chamber of the legislature from adjourning for more than three days without the consent of the other chamber. The Governor claimed that this provision applied only to regular sessions of the General Assembly; the House of Delegates and most Senate Republicans claimed it applied to special sessions as well, and that the Senate's adjournment was invalid because the House did not consent. Because there was legal uncertainty about whether the legislature was still in session, it was unclear whether the governor could fill the vacancy created when Justice Roush's original interim appointment expired on September 16, 2015. Nevertheless, the governor announced his view that the legislature was not in session and purported to reappoint her for a second interim term. Whether this second interim appointment was valid or invalid has not been determined. If valid, the second interim appointment expired on February 12, 2016, thirty days after the regular session of the General Assembly began on January 13, because the legislature did not elect her to a full twelve-year term. On March 2, 2016, the Senate nominated Roush to a full, twelve-year term, beginning March 1, 2016. The House rejected the nomination by a 38–55 vote. Later that month, the General Assembly elected then-Judge Stephen R. McCullough to fill the seat for a full term.

Biography

Roush graduated from

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...

in 1978 and obtained her

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 ...

degree from the

University of Virginia School of Law The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 as part of his "academical village", and now ...

in 1981. She practiced at Boothe Pritchard & Dudley, which later became part of McGuireWoods LLP, and Hogan & Hartson, which later became part of

Hogan Lovells Hogan Lovells ( ) is an American-British law firm co-headquartered in London and Washington, DC. The firm was formed in 2010 by the merger of the American law firm Hogan & Hartson and the British law firm Lovells. As of 2024, the firm employed a ...

. She was elected a judge of the circuit court of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit of Virginia, encompassing Fairfax County, in 1993.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roush, Jane Marum 1956 births Living people People from Massachusetts Justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia Wellesley College alumni University of Virginia School of Law alumni 21st-century American judges People associated with Hogan Lovells 21st-century American women judges