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2024 SESSION


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 41
Commending the Honorable Gayl Y. Branum Carr.

 

Agreed to by the Senate, January 18, 2024
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 22, 2024

 

WHEREAS, the Honorable Gayl Y. Branum Carr, the first Black female judge in Fairfax County history, will retire as a judge of the Fairfax Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court of the 19th Judicial District of Virginia in 2024; and

WHEREAS, Gayl Carr grew up in Los Angeles, California, and came to Virginia as a student at Virginia Commonwealth University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in social work; she subsequently worked in the child protective section at the Department of Social Services, then earned a law degree from the University of Richmond; and

WHEREAS, after graduating from law school, Gayl Carr handled criminal and civil cases in private practice and represented parents and children in child dependency matters in courts across the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, Gayl Carr was next appointed as a state assistant attorney general, representing the Department of Corrections and the Virginia Parole Board in state and federal courts, then became an assistant attorney general for Fairfax County, where she represented the local child welfare agency; and

WHEREAS, in 1994, Gayl Carr was appointed as a judge of the Fairfax Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court of the 19th Judicial District of Virginia; she presided over the court with great fairness and wisdom and was selected to serve as chief judge from 2004 to 2006; and

WHEREAS, Gayl Carr has offered her leadership and expertise to a wide range of committees, commissions, boards, and professional organizations to enhance the legal profession, support fellow judges in the Commonwealth, and raise awareness of important issues related to children and families in the legal system; and

WHEREAS, in 2019, Gayl Carr was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the oldest judicial membership organization in the country, and she was elected as president of the organization for 2023–2024; and

WHEREAS, Gayl Carr serves as a mentor to newly appointed judges in Virginia and frequently trains judges, lawyers, teachers, social workers, law-enforcement officers, clerks of court, probation officers, and court-appointed special advocates on child support and other relevant issues; and

WHEREAS, Gayl Carr previously served as adjunct faculty at George Mason University, Northern Virginia Community College, and Strayer University; she was also a past faculty member of the Virginia State Bar’s Harry L. Carrico Professionalism Course and a past chair of the Education Committee of the Judicial Conference for District Court Judges; and

WHEREAS, among many awards and accolades for her personal and professional achievements, Gayl Carr received the 2023 Vanguard Award from the Fairfax County Department of Family Services and Domestic and Sexual Violence Services for her longstanding work to enhance procedures and support services related to domestic and sexual violence; she was also inducted into the Virginia Lawyers Hall of Fame in 2023; and

WHEREAS, over the course of her career, Gayl Carr has served the Fairfax community and the Commonwealth with the utmost dedication, integrity, and distinction; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Honorable Gayl Y. Branum Carr, who broke down barriers as the first Black female judge in Fairfax County, on the occasion of her retirement as a judge of the 19th Judicial District of Virginia; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Honorable Gayl Y. Branum Carr as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for her outstanding service to the Fairfax community and to children and families throughout the Commonwealth.