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2015 SESSION

15102014D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 675
Offered January 16, 2015
Commending the Honorable Dennis J. Smith.
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Patrons-- Surovell, Albo, Bulova, Filler-Corn, Hugo, Keam, Kory, Krupicka, LeMunyon, Lopez, Murphy, Plum, Rust, Sickles, Simon, Sullivan and Watts; Senators: Barker, Ebbin, Favola, Howell, Marsden, Petersen, Puller, Saslaw and Wexton
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WHEREAS, the Honorable Dennis J. Smith, the respected longtime chief judge of the Circuit Court of Fairfax County, retires in June 2015 after more than two decades on the bench; and

WHEREAS, a native of New York City, Dennis Smith earned a bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College and a law degree from American University; and

WHEREAS, Dennis Smith was admitted to the Washington, D.C., bar in 1978 and the Virginia bar in 1979; he practiced law with Shoun, Smith & Bach, P.C., for many years, specializing in family law; and

WHEREAS, a respected leader in the legal field, Dennis Smith served as a member and chair of several committees for the Fairfax Bar Association and was a member of the Board of Governors of the Virginia State Bar’s Family Law Section; and

WHEREAS, Dennis Smith began his judicial career as a commissioner in chancery for the 19th Judicial Circuit of Virginia from 1987 to 1995, and beginning in 1990, he served as a substitute judge for the General District Court and the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court of the 19th Judicial District of Virginia; and

WHEREAS, in 1995, Dennis Smith was appointed as a judge of the Circuit Court of the 19th Judicial Circuit of Virginia in Fairfax County, where he authored more than 103 reported opinions; he became chief judge in 2007 and has presided with great fairness and wisdom for four terms; and

WHEREAS, as a judge, Dennis Smith continued to advance and support the legal field, serving as a member or chair of numerous committees and conferences, including those for the Supreme Court of Virginia and the Governor of Virginia; he has been a member of the Boyd-Graves Conference since 1995; and

WHEREAS, Dennis Smith currently sits on the committee that edits the Virginia Civil and Criminal Bench Books and serves as president and chair of the National Conference of Metropolitan Courts; and

WHEREAS, a man of great integrity, Dennis Smith served the Fairfax community and the Commonwealth with the utmost professionalism, dedication, and distinction; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Honorable Dennis J. Smith, chief judge of the Circuit Court of Fairfax County, on the occasion of his retirement as a judge; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Honorable Dennis J. Smith as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for his contributions to the Fairfax community and the Commonwealth.