The Hon. Gayl Branum Carr is a judge for the 19th Judicial District Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court of Virginia in Fairfax County. She joined the bench in 1994.
During her judicial tenure, Carr was elected chief judge of the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court in Fairfax County in 2004 and has been active with the Fairfax Best Practice Court since 1997.
Prior to joining the bench, she was an assistant county attorney in Fairfax County since being appointed to the position in 1991. Before that, Carr represented the Virginia Department of Corrections and the Virginia Parole Board as an assistant attorney general. She began her legal career in private practice in 1987, handling both criminal and civil matters in state and federal court.
Carr also served as an adjunct faculty member at George Mason University, Northern Virginia Community College, and Strayer University. Her subjects include criminal justice and forensic social work.
She received a bachelor’s degree in social work from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1984. Carr then completed a J.D. at the University of Richmond School of Law in 1987.
She was named president of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges in July 2023 and is a past president of the Virginia Council of Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Judges. Carr has also been involved with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the National Association of Women Judges, and the American Bar Association.
She served as a master of the George Mason American Inn of Court and acted as a mentor for newly elected state judges.
In 2023, Carr was inducted into the Virginia Lawyers Hall of Fame. Her other accolades include the Judge of the Year Award, the Ebone Image Award, and the Law Service Award.
Carr was raised in Los Angeles, California.