ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, January 23, 1997 TAG: 9701230024
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG
SOURCE: LISA K. GARCIA STAFF WRITER
Bob Viar, a Christiansburg lawyer, has won the endorsements of five of the six bar associations in the 27th Judicial District to replace retiring Juvenile and Domestic Relations Judge J. Patrick Graybeal.
The Giles County Bar Association, the smallest of the six bars with nine voting members, split from the majority when it endorsed Harriet Dorsey, a Blacksburg lawyer.
The final decision as to who will replace Graybeal when he retires April 30 now rests in the hands of the General Assembly.
Viar's final endorsement came Tuesday evening when the Wythe-Bland County Bar Association cast its vote. The Pulaski County Bar Association met Jan. 15 and the Carroll County Bar Association met Jan. 14; each endorsed Viar.
The district's largest lawyers group, the Montgomery-Floyd-Radford Bar Association, led the endorsements when it voted to back Viar Jan. 7. The next day, the Grayson County-Galax Bar Association followed suit, while Giles County barristers backed Dorsey.
Both Viar and Dorsey have served as substitute judges in Graybeal's court.
Viar said he is encouraged by the votes of his fellow lawyers.
"It certainly has been gratifying to see the quantity of support," Viar said Wednesday of the bars' endorsements.
Dorsey could not be reached Wednesday afternoon for comment.
Del. Tommy Baker, R-Pulaski County, is a member of the House Courts of Justice Committee that will interview the two candidates sometime next week.
Baker said in a telephone interview from Richmond that the recommendations of the bar associations weigh heavily with him.
"I'm familiar with both candidates," Baker said. "In a legislative role I usually defer to the bars' choice."
"If [a lawyer] comes here with the endorsement of most or all of the bars, that gives him a leg up," he said.
After Viar and Dorsey interview with the House and Senate Courts of Justice committees, which determine that the candidates are qualified, Baker said, then the decision moves to the full chambers.
The Democrats still hold a majority of the votes in the House and on that side the appointment is still decided in the Democratic Caucus, Baker said. On the Senate side, a recent shift in the partisan weight - a 20-20 split between the parties - has changed the process somewhat. Now the opinions of the legislators who represent the 27th Judicial District have a more direct impact on the process, Baker said.
In the end, both the House and Senate take a full vote on the recommended candidate or candidates to decide the appointment.
Three other candidates, in addition to Viar and Dorsey, originally sought Graybeal's seat on the court. They were Peggy Frank, Montgomery County assistant commonwealth's attorney; Victoria Robison, Pulaski County public defender; and Gail DeVilbiss, a Radford lawyer.
LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshots) Viar, Dorsey. color.by CNB