Jerrauld Jones of Norfolk, a judge, former state legislator and state department head who set multiple civil rights milestones during his career, died Saturday at age 70, according to a statement from his family.
His son, Jay Jones, also a former Norfolk state legislator, is currently seeking the Democratic nomination for attorney general.
The Jones family has a long history of pioneering civil rights work as lawyers. Hilary Jones Jr. became the first Black member of the Norfolk School Board and later the state Board of Education. His son, Jerrauld Jones, became one of the first Black students to integrate Ingleside Elementary in Norfolk and later Virginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg in 1967. A New York Times magazine article on the integration of that school cited Jones, who was in the second integrated class, and said that he loved the school so much that whenever business took him to Lynchburg, he made a point to visit the boarding school campus. Jones went on to graduate from Princeton University and Washington and Lee University School of Law. In 1980, he became the first Black clerk to the Supreme Court of Virginia.
Jones is the rare figure to serve in all three branches of Virginia government. He spent 14 years in the House of Delegates, where he became chair of the House Black Caucus. In 2001, he ran for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor but lost a three-way race to Tim Kaine. The following year, then-Gov. Mark Warner named Jones as head of the state’s Department of Juvenile Justice. In 2005, he was named a juvenile and domestic relations judge in Norfolk, and later a circuit court judge. He spent the last 20 years of his life on the Norfolk bench.
Political figures from both parties offered tributes to Jones.
U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, a Democrat, hailed Jones as “a brilliant jurist” who was proud of being a W&L graduate. “He broke barriers and opened doors for those who came after him, not just as a legislator and judge but as a community leader whose moral compass never wavered.”
Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican, called him “a Virginian with an incredible and noble career in public service.”
Norfolk lawyer Rod Dillman posted: “I tried several complicated cases in front of Judge JerrauldJones. He was kind, gracious, & respectful to all litigants & counsel. Judge Jones was a lion in the @VaHouse and a superb Judge. Brilliant, hilarious, & engaging; fiercely committed to fairness & the law.”
Jones is survived by his wife, Lyn Simmons, a juvenile and domestic relations judge in Norfolk. His son, Jay, later served in the House of Delegates and is now running statewide.