An Interview with Bryant L. Sugg (part one)

Authors

Bryant L. Sugg
Daniella Relvas-Veliadis

Files

Interview Date

3-19-2025

Description

"Rather than thinking of it, of any of this starting with me, it always, to me, goes back to my father... When he said he wanted to go to law school, they told him he was crazy. Because he is in the 50s. Before even the civil rights movement and all that, when I was a baby... [T]hrough my father, myself, and my nephew, we're the only three generations of African American legacy judges, period, the end. It just hasn't happened in the history of the country, from what I've been told... I always, like I said, I look to my father as the one who started that, based on his dream and him not accepting that he wasn't going to be able to make it. And he did." -- Bryant Sugg

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In this oral history, dated March 19, 2025, the Honorable Judge Bryant L. Sugg gives us an overview of his life, time at William & Mary Law School, and decades-long career as a Virginia judge. We begin with a discussion about his upbringing and how his father, the late Honorable Irvin Douglas Sugg, Sr., influenced his career path. From the law school, Judge Sugg shares stories about playing flag football with professors, memories of getting cold-called in class, and his reputation as a “lobby lizard.” From there, he discusses his “friendly rivalry” with his nephew, the Honorable David J. Whitted, and the legacy Judge Sugg started at the law school, with three generations of his family attending.

Run Time

01:14:51

Comments

A transcript and guide to the oral history are available as additional files, above.

Use the CC button on the video to toggle captions on and off.

View part two of the oral history interview.

Keywords

Jayne Barnard, Tom A. Collins, Aundria Foster, Gene R. Nichol, David J. Whitted, African American judges, African American lawyers, Black Law Students Association (formerly BALSA), Class of 1989, Law school community, Student life

Local Identifier

OH.2025.003

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright for these materials has been transferred to the repository. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce for reasons not covered by fair use must be secured from the repository.

Disciplines

Judges | Legal Education

Recommended Citation

Sugg, Bryant L. and Relvas-Veliadis, Daniella, "An Interview with Bryant L. Sugg (part one)" (2025). William & Mary Law School Oral Histories. 21.
https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/oralhist_all/21