© 2024
Virginia's Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Judicial Candidates Go Before State Lawmakers

If you've ever observed a "hanging judge," you may have wondered if that person has a sense of compassion and what qualified the former lawyer to preside over cases that change lives. During this week’s Special General Assembly Session, state lawmakers plan to cast votes to fill 36 judicial vacancies.  Today, the candidates who may be elected or re-elected as judges displayed their softer sides before the lawmakers who ultimately decide whether they're worthy.

That's former Delegate Onzlee Ware, who is up for a Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court judgeship in Roanoke. He and many others must state THEIR case during the joint hearings. But these PEOPLE aren't wearing black robes. They're vulnerable—and House Judicial Panel chair Delegate Manoli Loupassi says each is thoroughly vetted. 

Former Democratic Senator Phil Puckett’s daughter was NOT interviewed.  Circuit Court judges temporarily appointed Martha Puckett Ketron as a Juvenile and Domestic Relations District judge, but the Senate did not confirm her because her father served there. Puckett resigned, and that shifted Senate control to Republicans.   

Tommie McNeil is a State Capitol reporter who has been covering Virginia and Virginia politics for more than a decade. He originally hails from Maryland, and also doubles as the evening anchor for 1140 WRVA in Richmond.