---
title: "Brenda C. Spry | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/brenda-c-spry-va-portsmouth-circuit-court"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-07-26"
---

# Brenda C. Spry

Portsmouth Circuit Court · Judge

## Profile

- Court: Portsmouth Circuit Court
- State: Virginia
- Role: Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-07-26

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Before you appear

- Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed.
- Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance.
- Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding.

## Courtroom Rules

### cell phones and electronic devices

Scope: statewide

Virginia courts commonly restrict cell phones and other electronic devices in court buildings; counsel and litigants should check the local court policy before arrival.

Evidence excerpt: Most courts in Virginia do not allow you to bring a cell phone or other electronic device into the building.

[Cell Phone & Electronic Device Policy](https://selfhelp.vacourts.gov/node/30/cell-phone-electronic-device-policy)
Source checked: 2026-07-26


## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.vacourts.gov/static/directories/judges_rule115.pdf)
- [Official roster](https://www.vacourts.gov/static/directories/judges_rule115.pdf)
- [Office of the Executive Secretary, Supreme Court of Virginia official judicial roster](https://www.vacourts.gov/static/directories/judges_rule115.pdf)
- [Cell Phone & Electronic Device Policy](https://selfhelp.vacourts.gov/node/30/cell-phone-electronic-device-policy)

## JSON-LD

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    {
      "@type": "WebPage",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/brenda-c-spry-va-portsmouth-circuit-court",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/brenda-c-spry-va-portsmouth-circuit-court",
      "name": "Brenda C. Spry | KnowJudges",
      "description": "Brenda C. Spry, Portsmouth Circuit Court. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.",
      "dateModified": "2026-07-26",
      "isPartOf": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website"
      },
      "mainEntity": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/brenda-c-spry-va-portsmouth-circuit-court#judge"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Person",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/brenda-c-spry-va-portsmouth-circuit-court#judge",
      "name": "Brenda C. Spry",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/brenda-c-spry-va-portsmouth-circuit-court",
      "jobTitle": "Judge",
      "worksFor": {
        "@type": "GovernmentOrganization",
        "name": "Portsmouth Circuit Court"
      },
      "sameAs": [
        "https://www.vacourts.gov/static/directories/judges_rule115.pdf"
      ]
    },
    {
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "itemListElement": [
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 1,
          "name": "KnowJudges",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 2,
          "name": "Virginia",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/virginia"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 3,
          "name": "Brenda C. Spry",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/brenda-c-spry-va-portsmouth-circuit-court"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```

## Biography

### Professional career

- Presiding judge of the Portsmouth Circuit Court in Virginia’s Third Judicial Circuit, appointed in 2021, with a career built on over two decades in public defense
- Listed as a Presiding Judge on the Portsmouth Circuit Court roster

### Education

- William & Mary Law School — J.D.
- B.S. in Criminal Justice – Old Dominion University

### Additional information

- Her appointment came in January 2021, after a 51–47 vote in the Virginia House of Delegates and a 33–5 vote in the Senate.
- She also handled the 2017 case of Will Patterson Jr., whose conviction was vacated due to mental health issues.
- Began as a deputy public defender in 1989 and rose to Chief Public Defender in 2008, a role she held for 13 years.
- Her work included high-profile cases, such as defending Elton Jackson, a suspected serial killer, in 1998.
- Before becoming a judge, Spry served over 30 years with the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission’s Portsmouth office.
- Mentored by the office’s founder, John H.
- “Jay” Underwood III.
- Judge Spry presides over felony, civil, and domestic relations cases in Portsmouth, Virginia.
- In summary: Judge Brenda C. Spry is a veteran public defender turned presiding judge, recognized for her long-standing advocacy in the criminal justice system and her current role in managing a high-volume local docket in Portsmouth, Virginia.
- She is admitted to practice in Virginia state courts and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.