The Honorable Stephen Charles “Steve” Shannon has been selected to serve as chief judge of the Fairfax Circuit Court, effective July 1.
Shannon succeeds Chief Judge Penney Azcarate, who completed her term as chief judge on June 30. As chief judge, Shannon will oversee the administration of the court, including case management, judicial assignments and coordination with court staff, partner agencies and the community.
Shannon brings a long record of public service, legal work and community involvement. He serves as a judge of the 19th Judicial Circuit of Virginia and as a distinguished adjunct professor of law at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School. In both 2020 and 2026, he received the Teacher of Distinction Award from the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning at George Mason University.
Shannon graduated from Fenwick High School in 1989. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fairfield University in 1993 and a Master of Public Policy degree from Georgetown University in 1996. He earned his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1999. While at Virginia, he was a member of the Virginia Law Review, editor-in-chief of the Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law, and a John M. Olin Scholar and Fellow in Law and Economics.
On Feb. 25, 2015, he was elected a judge of the Fairfax County Circuit Court, where he has presided over a wide range of civil and criminal cases.
In 2001, Shannon and his wife, Abby, co-founded the Metropolitan Washington AMBER (America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) Plan, a regional extension of the nationwide child recovery program. The plan brought together local law enforcement, media and community groups to create a rapid-response child recovery network. In recognition of this work, the Shannons received Fairfax County’s highest public service award.
Shannon previously served three terms as a member of the Virginia General Assembly, from 2004 to 2010. From 2002 to 2003, he served as vice chairman of the Fairfax County Consumer Protection Commission, where he helped protect residents from illegal, fraudulent or deceptive consumer practices. From 2000 to 2003, he worked as an assistant commonwealth’s attorney for Fairfax County, during which time he received departmental honors from the Fairfax County Police Department for professional excellence.
The Fairfax Circuit Court is the largest trial court of general jurisdiction in Virginia. It handles major civil cases, felony criminal cases, family matters and appeals from the General District Court and the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.
For more information about the Fairfax Circuit Court, visit fairfaxcounty.gov/circuit.
Media contact:
Rafael A. Arancibia Jr., MPA
Public Information Officer
Fairfax Circuit Court
Phone: 703-246-3717
Email: rafael.arancibia@fairfaxcounty.gov
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