William Brockenbrough was a justice of the Court of Appeals (1834–1838), a General Court judge (1809–1834), a member of the Council of State (1803–1806), and a representative to the House of Delegates from Essex (1801–1803) and Hanover (1807–1809) counties. A respected member of the state judiciary, Brockenbrough also wrote and published a number of influential articles that defended the states’ rights interpretation of the U.S. Constitution and federal system and criticized the U.S. Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Marshall. Throughout his adult life, Brockenbrough was identified as a member of the so-called Richmond Junto, a political clique of Virginia conservatives.
ENTRY
