Richard Carey was from Elizabeth City County, Virginia

Elizabeth City County, Virginia

Elizabeth City County was a county in southeastern Virginia from 1634 to 1952. Originally created in 1634 as Elizabeth River Shire, it was one of eight shires created in the Virginia Colony by order of the King of England. In 1636, it was subdivided, and the portion north of the harbor of Hampton...

. He studied law and then practiced in the county courts. In 1777, he was appointed as a judge of the court of admiralty where he soon became presiding judge. As a member of that court, he also became a member of the first Court of Appeals

Supreme Court of Virginia

The Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears appeals from the trial-level city and county Circuit Courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and administrative law cases that go through the Court of Appeals of Virginia. It is one of...

. In 1788, when the Court of Appeals was reorganized and was to have only five judges elected solely for that court, Carey was made a judge on the general court. He died in 1789.