The Supreme Court of Virginia is one of the oldest continuous judicial bodies in the United States. Its roots are deep in the English legal system dating to the early seventeenth century as part of the Charter of 1606 under which Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America, was established. In 1623.[For more information, see http://www.courts.state.va.us/courts/cib.pdf].Assisting the Chief Justice in administration of the judicial branch, the Executive Secretary ofthe Supreme Court (the state court administrator) is appointed by and serves at the pleasure ofthe Supreme Court. Through its twelve departments, the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES) provides administrative assistance to the Supreme Court and all local state courts and magistrates' offices in the judicial system.