Lawrence L. Koontz, Jr.

Lawrence Larkins Koontz, Jr. (born January 25, 1940) is a Senior Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia. Justice Koontz has served at every level of court (district, circuit, Court of Appeals, and Supreme Court) judicial system. 2008 marked Justice Koontz's 40th year on the bench as an active jurist.

Prior to being made a Supreme Court Justice, Justice Koontz was an original member of the Virginia Court of Appeals, serving as its second Chief Judge for two four year terms following the death of Chief Judge E. Ballard Baker a few months after the Court was created. Prior to his appointment to the Court of Appeals, Justice Koontz served as a judge of the 23rd Judicial Circuit of Virginia and the Roanoke Juvenile Court. He attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University where he received a B.S. in Biology and was a member of the Corps of Cadets. He received his law degree from University of Richmond School of Law.

Among Justice Koontz's more controversial opinions was Arlington County v. White, in which the Court determined that a local government could not extend employee health benefits to non-related persons living with the employee, including same-sex partners. Writing for the majority, Justice Koontz applied the "Dillon Rule" that prohibits local governments in Virginia from going beyond the authority delegated to them by the state government. As expressed in a concurring opinion by Justice Cynthia D. Kinser, the majority declined to address whether the County's action was an attempt to recognize same-sex marriage, as was argued in a separate concurring opinion written by Justice Leroy Rountree Hassell, Sr., who was joined by two other justices. Despite the legal justification of the majority for striking down the policy, the opinion is nonetheless viewed as controversial in the Gay and Lesbian Community.