The VLW Blog

Virginia Court of Appeals Judges D. Arthur Kelsey and LeRoy F. Millette Jr. and Fairfax County Circuit Judge R. Terrence Ney have won the endorsement of both the Virginia Bar Association and the Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys for a vacancy on the Supreme Court of Virginia.

The VBA also endorsed Arlington Circuit Judge Joanne F. Alper, Chief Court of Appeals Judge Walter S. Felton Jr., Loudoun County Circuit Judge Thomas D. Horne, Chief Deputy Attorney General William C. Mims and Roanoke Circuit Judge Clifford R. Weckstein.

The VADA endorsed only one other candidate, Chesterfield Circuit Judge Michael C. Allen.

The Virginia State Bar, the Virginia Women Attorneys Association and the Old Dominion Bar Association had scheduled interviews of candidates for today and are expected to announce their endorsements next week as is the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has asked the statewide bar groups to submit recommendations to him in case he has to fill the vacancy created by the appointment of Justice G. Steven Agee to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The General Assembly is in session and could appoint someone to a 12-year term. If it adjourns without doing so, the task will fall to Kaine to make an appointment that will be effective only until February, when the General Assembly would have another opportunity to fill the seat.
By Alan Cooper

Yesterday, VLW posted a blog item entitled “Federal court as defense haven.” The item reported remarks made at a seminar held at the Spring Section meetings of the Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys at Keswick Hall May 11.

Over many years, reporters from Virginia Lawyers Weekly have attended numerous meetings held by Virginia bar groups, including the VADA. Our reporters frequently have filed stories and news items after attending these meetings. This is what we do.

In the normal course of business, such meetings are public and comments made from a podium can be, and frequently are, reported.

While we maintain that the May 11 Keswick seminar in question was public and that any remarks made there are no different from statements made at other open meetings, the speaker in question subsequently stated that she believed that the meeting was private.

We can agree to disagree on whether the meeting was public or private. But as a courtesy to the speaker, we have withdrawn the blog item.