The Fairfax Circuit Court has passed the gavel to a new chief judge.
Stephen Charles “Steve” Shannon officially assumed the position yesterday (Wednesday) more than a decade after he was first elected to serve as a judge on the court, the circuit court clerk’s office announced.
Shannon took over for longtime chief judge Penney S. Azcarate, who retired on Tuesday (June 30) to finish nearly 20 years as a judge in Fairfax County — 10 of them as the circuit court’s top adjudicator.
“As Chief Judge, Judge Shannon will oversee the administration of the Court, including case management, judicial assignments, and coordination with court staff, partner agencies, and the community,” the court clerk’s office said in a press release.
As the largest trial court in Virginia, the Fairfax Circuit Court handles major civil cases, felony criminal cases, family issues, and appeals from both the general district and juvenile courts in Fairfax County and Fairfax City.
In addition to serving as a judge in Fairfax County since February 2015, Shannon has experience as a state legislator and an educator at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School.
A Democrat, he represented Virginia’s 35th House District in the General Assembly from 2004 to 2010. At that time, the district encompassed part of Fairfax County, from Fair Lakes and Oakton to Vienna, Wolf Trap and part of Tysons before redistricting in 2011 and 2020 changed the boundaries.
Before entering state politics, he worked from 2000 to 2003 as an assistant commonwealth’s attorney for Fairfax County — prosecutorial experience that he later touted in an unsuccessful 2009 bid to become Virginia’s next attorney general.
Promising to tackle issues like gang violence, drunk driving and child pornography in a debate at Mason’s Prince William campus, as reported at the time by Mason Votes, Shannon secured endorsements from at least two business groups — the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce and Northern Virginia Technology Council — that alternatively backed Republican gubernatorial nominee Bob McDonnell.
But he and other Democrats were defeated in a red wave that appeared fueled by backlash to Barack Obama’s election as president in 2008, continuing a pattern of supporting the opposite party of the one holding the White House that still persists in Virginia’s statewide races.
More on Shannon’s background from the Fairfax Circuit Court:
Judge Shannon brings a distinguished record of public service, legal scholarship, and community engagement. 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.
A graduate of Fenwick High School (1989), Judge Shannon received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Fairfield University in 1993 and a Master of Public Policy degree from Georgetown University in 1996. He earned his Juris Doctor 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 & Economics.
On February 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 matters.
In 2001, Judge 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. Their plan successfully coordinated 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.
Judge Shannon previously served three terms as a member of the Virginia General Assembly (2004-2010). From 2002 to 2003, he served as Vice-Chairman of the Fairfax County Consumer Protection Commission, where he helped protect citizens from illegal, fraudulent, or deceptive consumer practices. From 2000-2003, 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 maintaining the highest standards of professional excellence.
