---
title: "Stephen C. Mahan | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/stephen-c-mahan-va-virginia-beach-circuit-court"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-07-26"
---

# Stephen C. Mahan

Virginia Beach Circuit Court · Judge

## Profile

- Court: Virginia Beach 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)

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## Biography

### Professional career

- Presiding judge for the 2nd Judicial Circuit Court of Virginia, which covers Accomack County, Northampton County, and the City of Virginia Beach

### Education

- Juris Doctor (J.D.) — College of William & Mary Law School, 1981
- Bachelor’s Degree — University of Virginia

### Additional information

- In September 2026, Judge Mahan granted a $100,000 bond to Charles Randell Berry, a Connecticut man charged with capital murder and rape in a 40‐year‐old Virginia Beach cold case.
- The victim’s family and the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office opposed the decision, calling it a miscarriage of justice.
- Berry was required to wear a GPS monitor as a condition of release.
- He presides over both civil and criminal cases within these jurisdictions, and is listed among the other presiding judges for the Virginia Beach Circuit Court.