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2023 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 702
Commending the Honorable William T. Newman, Jr.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 20, 2023
Agreed to by the Senate, February 22, 2023

 

WHEREAS, the Honorable William T. Newman, Jr., a distinguished public servant and community leader in Arlington County, retired as a judge of the 17th Judicial Circuit of Virginia in 2023; and

WHEREAS, a native of Arlington, William Newman holds degrees from Ohio University and the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law; he began his legal career as a staff trademark attorney with the U.S. Department of Commerce from 1977 to 1980, then worked for the firm Carpenter, Newman, Martin, Berkowitz, and Garnes for several years, during which time he founded the Northern Virginia Black Attorneys Association; and

WHEREAS, desirous to be of further service to the community, William Newman ran for and was elected to the Arlington County Board in 1987; he was the first African American elected to the board since the reconstruction era and served as chair in 1991; and

WHEREAS, William Newman represented Arlington County in numerous capacities, serving the region as president of the Washington Metropolitan Council of Governments and as founder and president emeritus of the Arlington Community Foundation; and

WHEREAS, inspired by the San Francisco Community Foundation’s role in responding to a city in need following the 1989 earthquake, William Newman worked with local business leaders and residents in Arlington to establish a similar foundation; since awarding its first two grants in 1993, the Arlington Community Foundation has continued to grow its assets in order to address community needs now and in the future; and

WHEREAS, in 1993, William Newman was appointed as a judge of the Arlington Circuit Court of the 17th Judicial Circuit of Virginia and presided over the court with great fairness and wisdom for the next three decades; and

WHEREAS, William Newman also volunteered his expertise to the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission, the Virginia Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission, and the Commission on Virginia Courts in the 21st Century; and

WHEREAS, among many awards and accolades for his accomplishments, William Newman has received the NAACP Community Service Award, the Urban League Rising Star Award, the William L. Winston Award from the Arlington County Bar Association, and the Harry L. Carrico Outstanding Career Service Award from the Judicial Council of Virginia; and

WHEREAS, outside of his career in public service, William Newman is an accomplished actor and a member of the Actors’ Equity Association and Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists; he recently portrayed the esteemed African American playwright August Wilson in a production of How I Learned What I Learned; and

WHEREAS, William Newman has served the Commonwealth with the utmost dedication, integrity, and distinction; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Honorable William T. Newman, Jr., on the occasion of his retirement as a judge of the 17th Judicial Circuit of Virginia; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Honorable William T. Newman, Jr., as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for his achievements in service to the residents of Northern Virginia.