Virginia Lawyers Weekly VA Lawyers Weekly
The 2,145-member Fairfax Bar Association has chimed in with the pleas for filling Virginia judicial vacancies.
An FBA resolution this week urges General Assembly members to fully fund all vacant judgeships and to reject the governor’s plan to use $5 million from the State Bar Fund for general spending purposes.
Unfilled judgeships “are creating undue hardships that undermine the public’s confidence that the judicial branch of government can effect efficient and fair due process,” the resolution reads.
Taking VSB money to pay for judges “creates an inherent conflict among the courts and members of the Bar appearing before the courts,” the FBA says.
“Ultimately, it’s like a tax on lawyers to pay for judges,” said FBA president David Gogal.
In a cover letter to legislators, Gogal also discouraged realignment of judicial districts “without careful, considered deliberation.”
By Peter Vieth
