Archie Elliot Jr. is an African-American retired judge and lawyer from Portsmouth, Virginia. He served as a judge in the Portsmouth General District Court from 1974 until 2006.[1]
Following his graduation from law school, Elliott established a law firm in Portsmouth, Virginia.[2] He was the first black attorney in the city in twenty-five years.[2] Elliott served on the Portsmouth City Council.[2] In 1974, Elliott became a judge in the Portsmouth General District Court.[1]
In 2004, Elliott believed himself to be due for a term as chief judge.[1] The position was generally rotated among jurists.[1] Instead, Morton Whitlow was elected to another term of chief judge.[1] Elliott wrote letters following the decision, claiming that racism was a factor in the decision, as both of the other general district court judges were white.[1] The two judges took Elliott's letter as a threat and filed complaints with the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission.[1] Elliott was accused of lying to defendants about a "DEA light," which he told them could determine if they had recently used drugs.[1] The judges had been previously visited by Virginia Supreme Court justice Leroy R. Hassell Sr., who encouraged them to work out their differences.[4] Judge Whitlow requested a bulletproof vest from the state due to the threats, and his request was granted.[1] On August 26, 2004, the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission suspended Elliott for an investigation into the allegations.[4] Elliott remained suspended from the bench for nearly two years.[1][5] Elliott issued apology letters to Whitlow and others.[1] A minority of the Virginia Supreme Court found Elliott's actions worthy of official sanctions.[1] The court instead ordered Elliott to be reinstated for one day and asked that he retire on June 30, 2006.[1][5][6] Police and deputies filled his courtroom on his last day and gave him a standing ovation.[5]
Elliott met Dorothy Copp at Virginia State University in the 1960s.[2] Their son, Archie Elliott III, was born on December 8, 1968.[3][7][2] Elliott and Copp divorced while Elliott III was still young.[8] Elliott Jr. stayed in Portsmouth to pursue his legal career, and Elliott III moved with Dorothy to the Washington, D.C. area to be closer to Dorothy's side of the family.[3] Elliott III spent most of his childhood with his mother in Forestville, Maryland, seeing his father once a month.[3] He lived with his father in Portsmouth for the last two years of high school.[3] On June 18, 1993, Archie Elliott III was shot and killed by police officers while handcuffed in police cruiser.[3] Since then, Elliott has been engaged in activism related to his son's death.[3]
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