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1998 SESSION

985848416
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 439
Offered March 9, 1998
Commending Judge William W. Sweeney.
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Patrons-- Putney, Abbitt, Bennett, Bryant, Byron, Cranwell and Dudley; Senator: Newman
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WHEREAS, Judge William W. Sweeney of Lynchburg, Virginia's longest serving sitting circuit judge, will retire from the bench on April 1, 1998; and

WHEREAS, a native of Greensboro, North Carolina, William Sweeney was raised in Lynchburg, graduated from E. C. Glass High School, and was a member of the Class of 1949 at Virginia Military Institute; and

WHEREAS, a veteran of service during the Korean War with the United States Army Airborne, William Sweeney earned his law degree from the University of Virginia and practiced law in Lynchburg with the firm of Caskie, Frost, Davidson & Hobbs; and

WHEREAS, on March 10, 1965, William Sweeney was appointed judge of the 6th Judicial Circuit, consisting of the City of Lynchburg and Bedford and Campbell Counties, by Governor Albertis S. Harrison, Jr. to succeed the late Charles E. Burks; and

WHEREAS, the 6th Judicial Circuit has become the 24th Judicial Circuit, which now comprises the Cities of Bedford and Lynchburg and the Counties of Amherst, Bedford, Campbell, and Nelson, but Judge William Sweeney continues to preside, as he has for the past 33 years; and

WHEREAS, widely respected for his knowledge and experience, Judge Sweeney is also admired for his judicial temperament, a low-key, even-handed approach that has made the often unpleasant experience of going to court much less threatening for attorneys, jurors, and witnesses alike; and

WHEREAS, Judge Sweeney has also been an innovator, agreeing to allow cameras in his courtroom during a five-year experiment authorized by the General Assembly; and

WHEREAS, through more than three decades of trials celebrated and quotidian, from the turbulent sixties to the present day, Judge William Sweeney has presided over the Bedford County Circuit Court with quiet dignity and peerless competence; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That Judge William W. Sweeney be hereby commended for his long and exceptionally distinguished tenure as a judge of the 24th Judicial Circuit; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Judge William W. Sweeney as an expression of the heartfelt appreciation of the General Assembly for his 33 years of eminent service to the citizens of Virginia.