Search

Start Over Names Virginia. Supreme Court -- 20th century.
Virginia State Law Library, Supreme Court of Virginia

Oral History Interview of Allen L. Lucy, Clerk (retired) of the Supreme Court of Virginia, June 11, 2009

Oral history interview of Allen L. Lucy by Cassandra Newby-Alexander, Professor of History, Norfolk State University, at Gloucester House, Gloucester Virginia, June 11, 2009; transcript available. In the interview, Lucy talks about his parents and siblings, growing up in the Barton Heights neighborhood of Richmond in the 1920s and 1930s, meeting his wife, and starting a family. He discusses his education in Richmond public schools, looking for work in Richmond during the Depression, and finding work at the City of Richmond Law and Equity Courts in 1935. He reflects on the atmosphere among the staff working at the Supreme Court of Virginia during the 1950s, when the court was deliberating a large number of civil rights cases, and discusses his thoughts about segregation and integration and his interactions with attorneys on both sides of the issue. He recalls one evening when he worked until the early hours of the morning in order to record a large number of petitions filed by civil rights attorney Oliver Hill. Toward the end of the interview, Lucy talks about the nature of his work as deputy clerk and clerk, his relationships with justices, and the pressures, for both the justices and the staff, of managing the caseload of the court and meeting deadlines. He emphasizes the sense of pride and gratitude he felt for having had the opportunity to work for the court and with the justices.

1 result

Oral History Interview of Allen L. Lucy, Clerk (retired) of the Supreme Court of Virginia, June 11, 2009

Supreme Court of Virginia Historical Commission.

Oral history interview of Allen L. Lucy by Cassandra Newby-Alexander, Professor of History, Norfolk State University, at Gloucester House, Gloucester Virginia, June 11, 2009; transcript available. In the interview, Lucy talks about his parents and siblings, growing up in the Barton Heights neighborhood of Richmond in the 1920s and 1930s, meeting his wife, and starting a family. He discusses his education in Richmond public schools, looking for work in Richmond during the Depression, and finding work at the City of Richmond Law and Equity Courts in 1935. He reflects on the atmosphere among the staff working at the Supreme Court of Virginia during the 1950s, when the court was deliberating a large number of civil rights cases, and discusses his thoughts about segregation and integration and his interactions with attorneys on both sides of the issue. He recalls one evening when he worked until the early hours of the morning in order to record a large number of petitions filed by civil rights attorney Oliver Hill. Toward the end of the interview, Lucy talks about the nature of his work as deputy clerk and clerk, his relationships with justices, and the pressures, for both the justices and the staff, of managing the caseload of the court and meeting deadlines. He emphasizes the sense of pride and gratitude he felt for having had the opportunity to work for the court and with the justices.

Virginia State Law Library, Supreme Court of Virginia

Oral History Interview of John Thomas Bruce, Office of the Chief Staff Attorney, Supreme Court of Virginia, October 11, 2013

Oral history interview of John Thomas Bruce by Cassandra Newby-Alexander, Professor of History, Norfolk State University, at the Supreme Court of Virginia in Richmond, October 11, 2013. Bruce talks about growing up among his mother's extended family in Norfolk, Virginia, his education, and his career as an attorney in the Office of the Chief Staff Attorney, first as a law clerk after graduating from law school, and as Chief Staff Attorney from 1978 to 2003. He discusses working with his predecessor Robert Irons, Special Assistant to the Supreme Court of Virginia until his sudden death in 1978; Chief Justice Harry Carrico, Justice A. Christian Compton, and Justice Richard H. Poff, all of whom were based in Richmond, and changes he has witnessed since he began working at the court in the 1970s.

1 result

Oral History Interview of John Thomas Bruce, Office of the Chief Staff Attorney, Supreme Court of Virginia, October 11, 2013

Supreme Court of Virginia Archives

Oral history interview of John Thomas Bruce by Cassandra Newby-Alexander, Professor of History, Norfolk State University, at the Supreme Court of Virginia in Richmond, October 11, 2013. Bruce talks about growing up among his mother's extended family in Norfolk, Virginia, his education, and his career as an attorney in the Office of the Chief Staff Attorney, first as a law clerk after graduating from law school, and as Chief Staff Attorney from 1978 to 2003. He discusses working with his predecessor Robert Irons, Special Assistant to the Supreme Court of Virginia until his sudden death in 1978; Chief Justice Harry Carrico, Justice A. Christian Compton, and Justice Richard H. Poff, all of whom were based in Richmond, and changes he has witnessed since he began working at the court in the 1970s.

Content Warning

ARVAS is an aggregator of archival resources. ARVAS does not have control of the descriptive language used in our members’ finding aids.

Finding aids may contain historical terms and phrases, reflecting the shared attitudes and values of the community from which they were collected, but are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical or mental ability; religion; sex; and sexual orientation and gender identity.

Many institutions and organizations are in the process of reviewing and revising their descriptive language, with the intent to describe materials in more humanizing, inclusive, and harm-reductive ways. As members revise their descriptive language, their changes will eventually be reflected in their ARVAS finding aids.