2026 SESSION

ENROLLED

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 241

Celebrating the life of Richard Edelin Crouch.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 9, 2026

Agreed to by the Senate, March 11, 2026

WHEREAS, Richard Edelin Crouch, a distinguished attorney in Northern Virginia who made transformational contributions to the practice of inter-state and international family law, died on December 24, 2025; and

WHEREAS, Richard Crouch grew up in Arlington, where he graduated from what is now Washington-Liberty High School, then earned a bachelor's degree and a law degree from The College of William & Mary; and

WHEREAS, Richard Crouch served the nation as an attorney in the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps, then returned to Arlington and worked as a legal writer and editor for the legal publisher BNA, while also practicing law in Virginia; and

WHEREAS, over the course of his career, Richard Crouch was admitted to try cases before the U.S. Court of Military Appeals, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals Fourth Circuit, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, and the U.S. Supreme Court; and

WHEREAS, Richard Crouch ultimately served in the firm Crouch & Crouch with his son, John, until his retirement in 2018; and

WHEREAS, Richard Crouch cultivated experience in military law, family law, criminal law, legal malpractice and discipline, civil liberties, and other public-interest litigation; in the 1980s, he increasingly focused his practice on family law and became one of the foremost experts on inter-state and international family law; and

WHEREAS, Richard Crouch took an active role in the growth and development of family law in the Commonwealth, contributing to policies on property division, diplomats' pensions, and an ethics code for mediators; he co-chaired the American Bar Association's Child Custody Committee and was active in other peer and professional organizations; and

WHEREAS, from 1991 to 2014, Richard Crouch was the editor of the Virginia State Bar Family Law Section's quarterly, served on its board, and represented it on the Virginia Family Law Coalition, a non-partisan group that reviews, analyzes, and recommends legislation affecting family law in Virginia; and

WHEREAS, in 1997, the Virginia State Bar Family Law Section awarded Richard Crouch the Betty A. Thompson Lifetime Achievement Award; and

WHEREAS, Richard Crouch was a longtime volunteer litigator and board member for the Virginia and Northern Virginia chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union; and

WHEREAS, Richard Crouch also served on the board of directors for Frying Pan Park, the Fairfax Historical Society, and other organizations dedicated to preserving the history of the Commonwealth; in addition to his work on legal publications, he authored two Civil War history books and a tongue-in-cheek exploration of a stereotypical Virginia gentleman; and

WHEREAS, Richard Crouch will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife of 60 years, Mary; his son, John, and his family; and numerous other family members, friends, and colleagues; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Richard Edelin Crouch, an esteemed attorney who reshaped the practice of inter-state and international family law through his insights and expertise; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Richard Edelin Crouch as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.