Judicial Selection « Virginia Lawyers Weekly

Powell, McClanahan likely for Supreme Court

By Alan Cooper
Published: July 26, 2011
Tags: General Assembly, Gov. Bob McDonnell, Judge Cleo E. Powell, Judge D. Arthur Kelsey, Judge Elizabeth A. McClanahan, Judicial Selection, Supreme Court of Virginia News, Virginia Court of Appeals News

Virginia Court of Appeals Judges Cleo E. Powell and Elizabeth A. McClanahan appear to be set to move up to the Supreme Court of Virginia under an agreement between House Democrats and Senate Republicans.
The General Assembly will convene Friday to elect the judges, and House Courts Chairman David Albo, R-Fairfax, said the agreement includes the [...]

Gibney appears before Senate committee for Richmond seat

By Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Published: May 3, 2010
Tags: Judicial Selection

Richmond lawyer John A. Gibney was well received in a brief appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday afternoon in his quest for a federal judgeship in Richmond.
Gibney appeared to benefit from the greater interest of committee members in U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny from Connecticut whom President Obama has nominated for a seat [...]

VSB, other groups endorse federal candidates

By Alan Cooper
Published: April 23, 2010
Tags: Judicial Selection, Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys, Virginia Bar Association, Virginia State Bar

(UPDATED 4/26/10 9:47 a.m.)The Virginia State Bar’s judicial nominating committee has found 12 candidates to be highly qualified for pending U. S. District Court vacancies in Virginia – eight for a Western District seat and four for a slot in the Eastern District.
The candidates in the Western District are:
- State Sen. John S. Edwards, [...]

Two more seek federal seat in Eastern District

By Alan Cooper
Published: April 2, 2010
Tags: Judicial Selection, Virginia State Bar

Updated and corrected 4/2/10 12:03 p.m. The Virginia State Bar’s judicial nominating committee will consider two more candidates for a federal judgeship in Norfolk, in part because only two candidates had expressed interest by the VSB’s March 22 deadline.
The vacancy will be created in November when Judge Jerome B. Friedman takes senior status.
One of the [...]

Budget reflects judicial attrition of next two years

By Alan Cooper
Published: April 2, 2010
Tags: General Assembly, Judicial Selection

The effect of the freeze on filling judicial vacancies in district and circuit courts may well be even bleaker than it first appeared.
The judiciary budget adopted by the General Assembly reflects an expectation that the system will have almost 20 percent fewer judges on July 1, 2012, than it had in January 2010.
Karl R. Hade, [...]

Nine seek federal seat in the Western District, only two in East

By Alan Cooper
Published: March 24, 2010
Tags: Judicial Selection, Virginia State Bar

An open seat on the federal bench in the Western District has attracted far more interest that a spot in the Eastern District that will open in November.
At least nine candidates have expressed interest in succeeding U.S. District Judge Norman K. Moon of Lynchburg, who has taken senior status. Only two people have spoken up [...]

General Assembly elects Mims

By Alan Cooper
Published: March 9, 2010
Tags: Judicial Selection

UPDATE: The General Assembly formally elected William C. Mims to the Supreme Court of Virginia, effective April 1.
Mims will become only the second person to serve as a Virginia legislator, an attorney general and a member of the Supreme Court.
Any doubts that he will replace Justice Barbara M. Keenan, who was confirmed last week as [...]

VSB to Assembly: Please keep judgeships, drug courts

By Alan Cooper
Published: March 1, 2010
Tags: General Assembly, Judicial Selection, Virginia State Bar

The Virginia State Bar Council voted overwhelmingly Saturday to ask state legislators to appropriate enough money to maintain the current level of judges and to keep the state’s drug courts open.
In drafting and presenting an understated motion to that effect, council member Brian Buniva of Richmond said, “We approach this humbly and with a degree [...]

Alexander grilled by House courts panel

By Alan Cooper
Published: February 18, 2010
Tags: General Assembly, Judge William N. Alexander II, Judicial Selection

Franklin County Circuit Judge William N. Alexander II was on his feet for about two hours yesterday listening to comments and answering questions from the judicial panel of the House Courts of Justice Committee.
Alexander had lots of support. Among those praising his integrity and judicial ability were the people who usually matter the most in [...]

Harrison keeps J&DR judgeship in Bedford

By Alan Cooper
Published: January 28, 2010
Tags: Bedford Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court, General Assembly, Judge R. Louis Harrison Jr., Judicial Selection

(Updated 1/29/10 10:10 a.m.)“One black mark” that R. Louis Harrison Jr. acknowledged did not keep him from being elected as a juvenile and domestic relations district judge in Bedford.
The black mark was his involvement in the D-Day Memorial Foundation and what amounted to a guilty plea to wire fraud as part of a diversion agreement [...]

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