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2012 SPECIAL SESSION I

12200024D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 5005
Offered March 27, 2012
Commending the Honorable Joanne F. Alper.
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Patrons-- Brink, Cox, J.A., Englin, Hope, Peace, and Lopez; Senators: Ebbin, Favola and Howell
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WHEREAS, the Honorable Joanne F. Alper, esteemed citizen of the Commonwealth, has served 21 years as a judge of the Circuit Court and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court of Arlington County and the City of Falls Church; and

WHEREAS, Judge Alper was born and raised in Valley Stream, New York, graduated from Syracuse University in 1972, magna cum laude, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and received her Juris Doctor, with honors, from George Washington University Law School in 1975; and

WHEREAS, Judge Alper engaged in the private practice of law, as a law clerk, associate, and partner with the Arlington law firm Cohen, Gettings, Alper & Dunham; and

WHEREAS, Judge Alper served as substitute judge in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court in Arlington County and the City of Falls Church from 1987 to 1991; and

WHEREAS, Judge Alper was recognized for her skill by the Arlington Bar Association, whose members recommended her nomination as judge of the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District and Circuit Courts of Arlington County and the City of Falls Church; and

WHEREAS, Judge Alper was nominated by Senators Edward M. Holland and Clive L. DuVal and Delegates James F. Almand, Judy Connally, and Karen Darner to be a judge of the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court of Arlington County and the City of Falls Church and was elected by the Virginia General Assembly to that position effective July 1, 1991, becoming the first female Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court judge in Arlington County; and

WHEREAS, Judge Alper was nominated by Senators Mary Margaret Whipple and Janet Howell and Delegates James F. Almand, Robert Brink, Robert Hull, and Karen Darner to the Circuit Court of Arlington County, and elected by the Virginia General Assembly to that position effective June 1, 1998, becoming the first female Circuit Court judge in Arlington County; and

WHEREAS, Judge Alper is known as a leader in the legal profession, serving as president of the Arlington Bar Association, president of the Virginia State Bar Conference of Local Bar Associations, chair of the Virginia State Bar Family Law Section, member of the Boyd-Graves Conference Steering Committee, Master of the Inn of the George Mason American Inn of Court, and founding president of the Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers; and

WHEREAS, Judge Alper is known as a leader in the judiciary, serving on the Judicial Council of Virginia, Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission, Virginia Model Jury Instructions Committee, Supreme Court of Virginia Historical Commission, and Commission on Virginia Courts in the 21st Century, and as chair of the Task Force on Judicial Functions; and

WHEREAS, throughout her legal and judicial career, Judge Alper has given presentations for numerous continuing legal education programs and legal seminars; and

WHEREAS, Judge Alper has served as a mentor to law clerks and numerous other Virginia lawyers and her positive influence will continue for decades to come as many of them now serve as leaders of the legal profession in Virginia; and

WHEREAS, Judge Alper has served her alma mater, Syracuse University, as president of the National Alumni Association and as vice-chair of the board of trustees and was honored by the university with the George Arents Award for Excellence in Law, the university’s highest alumni award, and the Syracuse University Trustee of the Year Award; and

WHEREAS, Judge Alper has received numerous awards and recognitions from the Bar and the community, including the Arlington County Bar Association’s Distinguished Service Award, Arlington County Bar Foundation’s William L. Winston Award, the Law Association for Women at The George Washington University Law School’s Belva Ann Lockwood Award, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center’s Community Service Award, and was named one of the “Notable Women of Arlington” by the Arlington Commission on the Status of Women; and

WHEREAS, Judge Alper has served the Arlington community on numerous commissions and boards, including the Arlington County Fair Housing Board, the Commission on Arlington’s Future (1986), and the Arlington County School Board Capital Improvement Advisory Committee (1988); and

WHEREAS, Judge Alper’s greatest joy is her family, including her husband, Paul; children, Michael and Brooke; and two grandsons; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Honorable Joanne F. Alper for her dedication to Virginia’s judicial system, her profession, and the people of Arlington County and the City of Falls Church; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Honorable Joanne F. Alper as an expression of the General Assembly’s gratitude for her longtime public service.