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2013 SESSION

13105211D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 959
Offered February 18, 2013
Celebrating the life of Daniel John Meador.
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Patrons-- Toscano; Senator: Deeds
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WHEREAS, Daniel John Meador, a University of Virginia law professor and legendary figure in the legal community who played a pivotal role in the establishment of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the United States Court of Federal Claims, died on February 9, 2013; and

WHEREAS, a native of Alabama, Daniel Meador attended The Citadel, earned a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University, a law degree from the University of Alabama School of Law, and a master of laws degree from Harvard Law School; and

WHEREAS, during the Korean War, Daniel Meador proudly served his country in the United States Army, first in the artillery and then in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, and eventually attained the rank of colonel; and

WHEREAS, after serving as a law clerk to Justice Hugo L. Black of the Supreme Court of the United States, Daniel Meador entered private practice for several years before joining the faculty of the University of Virginia School of Law; and

WHEREAS, Daniel Meador served as a Fulbright lecturer in England, returned to the University of Alabama Law School for several years as dean, and rejoined the University of Virginia law faculty as James Monroe Professor of Law in 1970, a position he held until his retirement in 1994; and

WHEREAS, Daniel Meador served as the founding director of the University of Virginia School of Law Graduate Program for Judges and received the Raven Award, the Alumni Association Distinguished Professor Award, and the Thomas Jefferson Award for his outstanding service to the school; and

WHEREAS, as Assistant Attorney General in the United States Department of Justice, Daniel Meador organized a new office under the direction of Attorney General Griffin Bell, the Office for Improvements in the Administration of Justice, which worked to identify and solve problems in the federal and state courts; and

WHEREAS, Daniel Meador’s work led to legislation creating the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the United States Court of Federal Claims, and dealing with federal magistrates’ jurisdiction, terms of chief judges, the reorganization of circuit judicial councils, and the Supreme Court of the United States’ discretionary jurisdiction; and

WHEREAS, Daniel Meador also oversaw the Office for Improvements in the Administration of Justice as it promoted nationwide programs of alternative dispute resolution; and

WHEREAS, Daniel Meador was a member of numerous professional organizations, studied legal education and courts in East Germany, was a visiting professor of law at the United States Military Academy, authored or co-authored nine books on law-related subjects, coedited a law school casebook, and published three novels; and

WHEREAS, Daniel Meador served on the board of directors of the State Justice Institute, the American Judicature Society, and the American Society for Legal History; chaired the Southeastern Conference of the Association of American Law Schools, the advisory committee for the Journal of Legal Education, and the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Federal Judicial Improvements; and was the executive director of the Commission on Structural Alternatives for the Federal Courts of Appeals; and

WHEREAS, Daniel Meador received the Justice Award from the American Judicature Society, the Kenneth R. Palmer Distinguished Service Award from the National Center for State Courts, the Samuel E. Gates Litigation Award from the American College of Trial Lawyers, and the William B. Spong, Jr. Professionalism Award from the Virginia Bar Association in recognition of his invaluable contributions; and

WHEREAS, Daniel Meador took an active role in community affairs and was an elder in the First Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville; blind since the 1970s, he also served on the board of directors of the Charlottesville unit of Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic; and

WHEREAS, a man of brilliant intellect, Daniel Meador made many substantial and lasting contributions to the nation’s judicial system; and

WHEREAS, predeceased by his wife of 52 years, Jan, Daniel Meador will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife, Alice; children, Barrie, Anna, and Daniel, Jr., and their families; and numerous other family members, friends, and former colleagues; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of an admired and influential leader in the legal community, Daniel John Meador; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Daniel John Meador as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.