---
title: "Elizabeth Kellas Burton | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/elizabeth-kellas-burton-va-frederick-winchester-juvenile-and-domestic-relations-district-court"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-07-26"
---

# Elizabeth Kellas Burton

Frederick/Winchester Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court · Judge

## Profile

- Court: Frederick/Winchester Juvenile and Domestic Relations District 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)

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## Biography

### Professional career

- The Presiding Judge of the 26th Judicial District Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court in Virginia, serving since 1999 and currently as Chief Judge of the court
- The first female judge appointed to the 26th Judicial District

### Education

- B.A. in Public Administration, summa cum laude, from James Madison University (1985)

### Additional information

- Served as Steering Committee Chair for the Timbrook Achievement Center, a detention alternative for at-risk youth
- Before becoming a judge, Burton spent 12 years in private legal practice
- Judge Burton presides over the Frederick/Winchester Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, which covers the cities of Winchester and Harrisonburg, and counties of Clarke, Frederick, Page, Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Warren
- She is recognized as a zealous advocate for children and has been in her 20th year on the bench
- Served on the Northern Shenandoah Valley Substance Abuse Coalition board
- Led the Top of Virginia Regional Chamber and the Winchester Medical Center board
- She has received multiple honors, including Commonwealth Leadership Award – Statewide BPW Award, Business and Professional Woman’s Young Careerist, and Winchester/Frederick County Woman of the Year