Jerrauld C. Jones began making history before his 10th birthday, becoming one of the first Black students to integrate Ingleside Elementary School in Norfolk in 1961. It was the start of a lifetime of breaking barriers in Virginia’s courts and legislature that extended his family’s civil rights legacy and served the Commonwealth for more than four decades.

Jones, who went on to become the Virginia Supreme Court’s first Black law clerk, a state delegate and a Norfolk Circuit Court judge, died Saturday, May 31, 2925, at age 70.

“It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Jerrauld C. Jones,” his family said in a statement Saturday. “His legacy of service, integrity and dedication to justice will continue to inspire all who knew him.”

Jones also helped integrate Virginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg in 1967. After earning degrees from Princeton University and Washington and Lee University School of Law, he served as the state Supreme Court’s first Black law clerk in 1980.

He entered politics in 1988, representing the 89th District in the House of Delegates and serving as chairman of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus. Though he lost a bid for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor in 2001, Gov. Mark Warner appointed him director of the Department of Juvenile Justice in 2002.

“Jerrauld Jones was more than a judge or a legislator — he was a giant,” House Speaker Don Scott said in a statement. “A presence. A mentor. A friend. For so many of us, he was a guiding light.”

In 2005, Jones was appointed a judge in the Norfolk Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.

Jones’ role in Virginia’s court system would shift again in 2008 when Gov. Tim Kaine elevated him to the Norfolk Circuit Court, where he served two eight-year terms before retiring in 2024.

The Jones family’s legacy of civil and legal service continues through his wife, Lyn M. Simmons Jones, a judge in Norfolk Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, and his son, Jay Jones, who served in the House of Delegates in the seat his father once held and is currently a candidate for Virginia attorney general.

Jones is survived by his wife; son Jerrauld “Jay” and his wife, Mavis; grandsons Charles and Zachary; and brothers Hilary H.  Jones III and Darryl C. Jones.

Funeral services were held Wednesday, June 4, at Christ & St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Norfolk.