Walter S. Felton Jr.

{{Short description|American lawyer (1944–2022)}}

{{infobox officeholder

|office=Chief Judge of the Virginia Court of Appeals

|term_start=April 1, 2006

|term_end=December 31, 2014

|preceded=Johanna L. Fitzpatrick

|succeeded=Glen A. Huff

|office2=Judge of the Virginia Court of Appeals

|term_start2=September 1, 2002

|term_end2=December 31, 2014

|preceded2=Jere M. H. Willis Jr.

|succeeded2=Mary Grace O'Brien

|office3=Counsel to the Governor of Virginia

|governor3=Jim Gilmore

|term_start3=January 17, 1998

|term_end3=January 12, 2002

|preceded3=Mark Christie

|succeeded3=Robert Blue

|birth_name=Walter Shepard Felton Jr.

|birth_date={{birth date|1944|07|28}}

|birth_place=Suffolk, Virginia, U.S.

|death_date={{death date and age|2022|04|29|1944|07|28}}

|death_place=

|party=Republican

|education=University of Richmond

|allegiance={{flag|United States}}

|branch=United States Army

|serviceyears=1969–1973

|unit=J.A.G. Corps

|battles=Vietnam War

}}

Walter Shepard Felton Jr. (July 28, 1944 – April 29, 2022) was the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia. He graduated from the University of Richmond in 1966 and the University of Richmond School of Law in 1969. Felton previously served as Deputy Attorney General of Virginia and law professor at the Marshall-Wythe School of Law.

Felton retired from the Court on December 31, 2014,{{cite news |publisher=Virginia Lawyers Weekly |title=Assembly requests recommendations for appellate judgeships |last=Vieth |first=Peter |date=September 22, 2014 |url=http://valawyersweekly.com/2014/09/22/assembly-requests-recommendations-for-appellate-judgeships/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141014141444/https://valawyersweekly.com/2014/09/22/assembly-requests-recommendations-for-appellate-judgeships/ |archive-date=2014-10-14 |url-status=live}} assuming senior status upon his retirement.

Judge Felton died on April 29, 2022.{{cite web |website=Dignity Memorial |title=The Honorable Walter S. Felton Jr. |url=https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/williamsburg-va/walter-felton-10732889 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220505170534/https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/williamsburg-va/walter-felton-10732889 |archive-date=2022-05-05 |url-status=live}}{{cite journal |journal=University of Richmond Law Review |volume=57 |last=Decker |first=Marla Graff |author-link=Marla Graff Decker |title=In Memoriam: The Honorable Walter S. Felton, Jr. |date=Dec 1, 2022 |url=https://lawreview.richmond.edu/2022/12/01/in-memoriam-the-honorable-walter-s-felton-jr/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202040550/https://lawreview.richmond.edu/2022/12/01/in-memoriam-the-honorable-walter-s-felton-jr/ |archive-date=2022-12-02 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |website=W&M News |title=Notice regarding Walter S. Felton Jr. |last=Agouris |first=Peggy |date=May 17, 2022 |url=https://news.wm.edu/announcements/notice-regarding-walter-s-felton-jr/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808154822/https://news.wm.edu/announcements/notice-regarding-walter-s-felton-jr/ |archive-date=2022-08-08 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |work=The Virginia Gazette |title=Longtime judge Walter Felton Jr. remembered as humble and kind |last=Wilkerson |first=Sian |date=May 6, 2022 |url=https://www.dailypress.com/2022/05/06/longtime-judge-walter-felton-jr-remembered-as-humble-and-kind/}}