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2008 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 424
Commending the Honorable Julian Hines Raney, Jr.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 22, 2008
Agreed to by the Senate, February 28, 2008

 

WHEREAS, the Honorable Julian Hines Raney, Jr., of Roanoke served with extraordinary distinction as judge and chief judge of the General District Court of the Twenty-third Judicial District of Virginia from March 30, 1984, until his retirement on December 31, 2007; and

WHEREAS, Judge Raney graduated from Brookville High School in Lynchburg; earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia in 1967, where he played football and rugby; served his country in the United States Army, receiving the Bronze Star for heroic service in Vietnam; and received a law degree from The College of William and Mary's Marshall-Wythe School of Law in 1974; and

WHEREAS, in the fall of 1974, Judge Raney moved to Roanoke to serve as Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney and was soon promoted to Chief Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney; and

WHEREAS, an exceptional and experienced attorney, Judge Raney entered private law practice in 1978 as a member of the firm of Norton & Raney; and in April 1979, he joined the firm that became Lichtenstein, Weckstein & Raney, and which later became Lichtenstein, Weckstein, Raney & Thomas; and

WHEREAS, Judge Raney’s quiet, effective competence further enhanced his reputation among his peers at the bar, culminating in his endorsement by both the Salem-Roanoke County Bar Association and the Roanoke Bar Association and his election as a judge to the General District Court by the General Assembly; and

WHEREAS, for nearly two decades, Judge Raney served as a member of the Supreme Court of Virginia’s advisory committee on Rules of Court; president of the District Judges Association; a participant in pre-bench orientation for new judges; a diligent member of district court committees; a hardworking member of the boards of the Roanoke area Alcohol Safety Action Program and Community Corrections Program; and an inspiration and mentor to many younger judges; and

WHEREAS, Judge Raney was a longtime and faithful volunteer tutor and mentor at Roanoke’s West End Center for Youth, quietly enriching the lives of countless young people; and

WHEREAS, Judge Raney and his devoted wife, Julie McWhorter Raney, were married on December 9, 1978, and the couple have two wonderful children, Jill Livingston Raney, a graduate of the University of Virginia, and Thomas Elliot Raney, a member of the California Institute of Technology Class of 2008; and

WHEREAS, Judge Raney remains a gifted athlete, a student of the law and of the world around him, and an avid reader; and

WHEREAS, dignity and integrity have been hallmarks of Judge Raney’s life, and throughout his distinguished career on the bench, he was known as a careful listener, patient, courteous, unquestionably fair, respectful to all, and motivated in his judgments by neither fear nor favor; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Honorable Julian Hines Raney, Jr., for his dedication to Virginia's judicial system, his profession, and the citizens of the Cities of Roanoke and Salem, Roanoke County, and the Commonwealth; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Honorable Julian Hines Raney, Jr., as an expression of the General Assembly’s gratitude for his wisdom and fairness in administering justice in Virginia and best wishes for a joyful retirement.