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Kaine asks for SCC names; bar groups to vet candidates

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has asked those interested in filling the vacancy created by the retirement of State Corporation Commissioner Theodore V. Morrison Jr. to submit their names and supporting documentation to his staff by May 31.

Mark E. Rubin, senior advisor to Kaine, will be coordinating the search for Morrison’s re-placement and the material should be sent to him at the Patrick Henry Building, 1111 East Broad St., 3rd Floor, Richmond, VA, 23219 or preferably by e-mail at Mark.
Rubin@governor.virginia.gov.

The material should include a résumé, a brief writing sample, responses to the SCC judicial selection questionnaire and a statement of economic interest. Those forms are available on the governor’s Web site at www.governor.virginia.gov.
Kaine also has asked statewide bar groups to recommend candidates for the position.

The Virginia State Bar has requested the candidates provide a résumé, writing sample and questionnaire in electronic format to Valerie Breeden at breeden@vsb.org, (804) 775-0551, by May 19. The VSB’s judicial nominations committee expects to interview candidates on May 27.

The Virginia Bar Association and the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association are asking that the same information and any additional materials be sent by the same date to Guy Tower at the VBA, guytower@vba.org, (804) 644-0041, and to Jack Harris at the VTLA, jharris@vtla.com, (804)343-1143.

S. Howard Woodson, president of the Old Dominion Bar Association, said his group intends to recommend candidates but is still developing its procedures.

Kathleen J.L. Holmes, president-elect of the Virginia Women Attorneys Association, said her organization has not gotten involved in SCC vacancies previously and will not do so for the Morrison vacancy.

Nominations committees from the VSB, the ODBA and the VWAA typically interview candidates for statewide judicial vacancies. VTLA and VBA committees usually do not interview candidates.

In addition to the SCC position, Kaine is asking for expressions of interest in circuit judgeships in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Hampton, Fairfax and the 15th Circuit. Rubin also is coordinating the search to fill those positions, and forms and other information about the selection process are available on the governor’s Web site.

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