---
title: "Cynthia D. Kinser | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/cynthia-d-kinser-5934"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-09"
---

# Cynthia D. Kinser

Supreme Court of Virginia · Judge

## Profile

- Court: Supreme Court of Virginia
- State: Virginia
- Role: Judge
- Service status: former
- Last verified: 2026-08-22

## Summary

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

## Biography

### Professional career

- Judge, Supreme Court of Virginia, 1997-present
- After retiring in 2014, Kinser joined Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore, LLP in Roanoke, Virginia, as Senior Counsel
- Chief Justice: Elected Chief Justice on August 31, 2010, she assumed the role on February 1, 2011, succeeding Leroy R. Hassell Sr
- Cynthia Kinser - On August 31, 2010, Kinser was elected to a four-year term as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, effective February 2010
- Federal judiciary: Appointed as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Western District of Virginia in 1990, she served until 1997
- She then practiced law briefly before serving as Commonwealth’s Attorney for Lee County, Virginia (1980–84).
- Cynthia Dinah Kinser is an American jurist best known as the first woman to serve as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia
- She became the first female chief justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia

### Education

- University of Virginia-Main Campus — J.D.

### Additional information

- She held the position until her retirement at the end of 2014.
- She was elected by the Virginia General Assembly to a 12-year term in 1998 and re-elected in 2010.
- Commonwealth (2004), cited over 400 times.
- Virginia Supreme Court: In May 1997, Governor George Allen appointed her to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court of Virginia, with service starting July 8, 1997.
- Appointed by Republican Governor George Allen in 1997.
- Practitioner, 1996-1996
- Early roles: After earning a B.A. from the University of Tennessee (1974) and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law (1977), Kinser clerked for Judge Glen M. Williams on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia (1977–78).
- Born December 20, 1951, in Pennington Gap, Virginia.
- Date of birth: 1951-12-20
- focusing on appellate work, criminal matters, and government investigations.
- Kinser authored over 220 published opinions on the Virginia Supreme Court, including 13 dissents and 22 concurrences.
- Her most-cited case is Riner v.
- Her judicial philosophy was textualist and restrained, emphasizing strict adherence to the law as written and respect for separation of powers.

## 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.courtlistener.com/person/5934/cynthia-d-kinser/)
- [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/5934/cynthia-d-kinser/)
- [Supreme Court of Virginia current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/5934/cynthia-d-kinser/)
- [Cell Phone & Electronic Device Policy](https://selfhelp.vacourts.gov/node/30/cell-phone-electronic-device-policy)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/5934/cynthia-d-kinser/)
- [Cynthia Kinser - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Cynthia_Kinser)
- [Cynthia D. Kinser - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynthia_D._Kinser)
- [Wikidata: Cynthia D. Kinser](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5200046)

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