Fairfax Circuit Court Selects Judge Steve Shannon As Its Next Chief Judge

FAIRFAX, VA — The Fairfax Circuit Court has selected Judge Stephen Charles "Steve" Shannon to serve as its next chief judge, with his term beginning Wednesday.

Shannon succeeds Chief Judge Penney Azcarate, whose term concluded June 30. As chief judge, he will oversee the administration of Virginia's largest trial court of general jurisdiction, including case management, judicial assignments and coordination with court staff, partner agencies and the community.

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Shannon has served as a judge on the Fairfax County Circuit Court since being elected by the Virginia General Assembly on Feb. 25, 2015. During his time on the bench, he has presided over a range of civil and criminal cases.

In addition to his judicial duties, Shannon serves as a distinguished adjunct professor at George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School. He received the university's Teacher of Distinction Award from the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning in both 2020 and 2026.

Career In Law And Public Service

Before joining the bench, Shannon served as an assistant commonwealth's attorney in Fairfax County from 2000 to 2003, earning departmental honors from the Fairfax County Police Department. He also served as vice chairman of the Fairfax County Consumer Protection Commission from 2002 to 2003.

Shannon represented Fairfax County in the Virginia General Assembly for three terms between 2004 and 2010.

In 2001, Shannon and his wife, Abby, co-founded the Metropolitan Washington AMBER Plan, a regional child recovery program designed to coordinate law enforcement, media organizations and community groups during child abduction cases. The couple later received Fairfax County's highest public service award in recognition of that work.

Education And Court Background

A 1989 graduate of Fenwick High School, Shannon earned a bachelor's degree from Fairfield University in 1993, a master's degree in public policy from Georgetown University in 1996 and a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1999.

While attending Virginia Law, he served on the Virginia Law Review, was editor-in-chief of the Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law, and was a John M. Olin Scholar and Fellow in Law & Economics.

The Fairfax Circuit Court handles felony criminal cases, major civil litigation, family matters and appeals from the county's General District and Juvenile and Domestic Relations district courts.

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