---
title: "Richard S. Buddington | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-s-buddington-va-smyth-juvenile-and-domestic-relations-district-court"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-07-26"
---

# Richard S. Buddington

Smyth Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court · Judge

## Profile

- Court: Smyth 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

- Richard S. Buddington, Jr. is a judge of the 28th Judicial District Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court in Virginia, serving since 2018
- One of the court’s judges alongside Chief Judge Joseph B. Lyle and Judge Jonathan E.P. Arnold

### Education


### Additional information

- In summary, Judge Richard S. Buddington, Jr. is a long‐time Virginia attorney now serving as a juvenile and domestic relations judge in southwest Virginia, with a background in local legal practice and a role in the state’s judicial system since 2018.
- Elected to the bench: 2018, by the Virginia General Assembly, to fill the vacancy created when Hon. Kurt Pomrenke was removed from the position.
- Admitted to the Virginia Bar: 1997.
- Professional background: Attorney based in Abingdon, VA, with a record of legal work in the region.
- Judge Buddington presides over the 28th Judicial District Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, which covers the City of Bristol and Smyth and Washington Counties in southwest Virginia.