Tracy Thorne-Begland

Tracy William Thorne-Begland (born October 3, 1966) is an American judge on the General District Court of Richmond, Virginia, appointed in 2012. He was the first openly gay jurist elected by the Virginia General Assembly.

After graduation from university, Thorne-Begland served in a jet combat squadron of the United States Navy. During the 1992 presidential campaign, he appeared on the television news program ''Nightline'' to criticize the Navy's policy of excluding homosexuals, identifying himself as gay, and was honorably discharged from the service. As a result of the appeal processes, Thorne-Begland became interested in the law and graduated from law school.

After serving twelve years as a prosecutor, Thorne-Begland was nominated for an open seat on the General District Court of Richmond in 2012, but the Virginia House of delegates rejected him for the position for his perceived advocacy on homosexual issues. The Richmond Circuit Court judges granted him a temporary appointment to the post on June 14, 2012. On January 15, 2013, he was confirmed in the position by both houses of the Virginia General Assembly. Provided by Wikipedia