ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, February 15, 1997 TAG: 9702170106
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
MEMO: ***CORRECTION***
Published correction ran on February 18, 1997.
Sate Del. Clifton "Chip" Woodrum, D-Roanoke, is no longer a member of
the House Courts of Justice Committee. A stroy Saturday had incorrect
information.
Judge Bounds may have made some remarks considered sexist by some; others say he means well.
Joseph Bounds, a Roanoke juvenile court judge who is seeking a Circuit Court judgeship, has made comments from the bench that some people consider sexist or derogatory, according to seven sources who spoke only if not identified.
The sources - who were either in the courtroom when the comments were made or knew of complaints about the comments - attributed the following statements to Bounds:
* He told a man accused of having contact with his estranged wife in violation of a protective order that "Women are like cats"; they'll rub up against you one minute and scratch you the next.
* He told a teen-age girl charged with a crime that he couldn't understand why she would do something like that; that she was so cute he'd take her home in "a New York minute."
* He asked a black woman in his courtroom how her "chillen" were, apparently referring to her children.
Most of the sources for this story said they do not believe Bounds' comments betray a prejudice that affects his decisions in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, which hears crimes by or against juveniles, domestic abuse cases and child-custody disputes. Rather, they said, he sometimes chooses the wrong words in trying to communicate with people in his courtroom who are not highly educated or sophisticated.
"I think it's just a lack of sensitivity," one lawyer said. "But it undermines public confidence in the judicial system when you hear those kinds of things being said from the bench."
Bounds - who is one of three candidates being considered by the General Assembly for a vacancy on the Roanoke Valley's Circuit Court - declined to comment Friday, saying the Canons of Judicial Conduct prohibit him from talking about cases he has heard.
"I wish I could say something to defend myself, but I can't," he said.
But other lawyers did. "I've worked with him long enough to know that Joe is not a sexist person in any shape, form or fashion," said Sharon Chickering, who practices in a Roanoke firm that Bounds left nearly three years ago when he became a judge.
Del. Clifton "Chip" Woodrum, a Roanoke Democrat who serves on the House Courts of Justice Committee, said he had not heard complaints about Bounds' comments.
"It does not sound like a wise thing to say," Woodrum said. "But not knowing the context or the circumstances, I wouldn't be able to comment on it any more than that."
Woodrum said the issue did not come up Thursday when the committee interviewed Bounds for the judgeship. Legislators are expected to appoint a judge next week for the 23rd Judicial Circuit, which includes Roanoke, Roanoke County and Salem. Roanoke lawyers Jonathan Apgar and Jane Glenn also are candidates.
In addition to the seven sources who cited specific comments by Bounds, several other people recalled him making what they considered inappropriate remarks about the appearance of attractive girls in his courtroom.
Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court is a court "not of record" in Virginia, so there are no transcripts or other public records that would have documented Bounds' comments. And most of the comments the sources cited were made before last July 1; only after that date were juvenile court proceedings opened to the public.
It was not known Friday if anyone has filed a complaint against Bounds with the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission, a state agency that handles disciplinary matters involving judges under strict rules of secrecy. The commission does not confirm whether it has received a complaint about a judge, and in most cases makes no public disclosure of disciplinary actions.
One source said a complaint was made to a circuit judge, who handled the matter informally by having a third party advise Bounds that there were concerns about his comments. That was about six months ago, and the sources knew of no complaints since then.
Bounds, 53, was interviewed by the Courts of Justice Committee this week even though he was not endorsed by any Roanoke Valley bar association. After Circuit Judge G.O. Clemens announced last year that he was retiring, Bounds unsuccessfully sought several endorsements.
The Roanoke County-Salem Bar Association backed Apgar, and the Roanoke Bar Association voted for Glenn. The Virginia Women Attorneys Association found that Bounds was qualified for the Circuit Court position, but said that three other candidates - including Apgar and Glenn - were "highly recommended."
When the local bar associations unite behind one candidate, legislators from the area usually go along with the selection. But when there are split endorsements, the opportunity arises for other candidates to be considered.
Some people said that while Bounds' comments may be ill-advised, they apparently stem from a well-meaning effort to communicate with people in his court on a down-to-earth, folksy level.
"I really don't think he understands or even notices these kinds of things," one source said. "He's not a bad guy, and he doesn't seem to make biased rulings in terms of punishing one particular group of people compared to any other group."
Chickering said that some of Bounds' comments might have been the result of "an effort on his part to communicate with a person on a level that person can understand."
And in juvenile court, which usually focuses more on rehabilitation than punishment, judges often lecture defendants.
"The frustration of that court is that so many times you see problems, and the only alternatives you have are probation, commitment to the state or trying to communicate with that person," said Charles Cornelison, a Roanoke lawyer and president of the city bar association. "And quite frankly, every judge in that court who is effective has to have a way to communicate.
"Often the juveniles are sitting there thinking, `I know you can't touch me,' and you can see it on their face. And you only have two or three minutes to try to say something that might change their attitude, and possibly their life."
LENGTH: Long : 116 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: File/1994. Joseph Bounds, a juvenile court judge seekingby CNBa Circuit Court judgeship, has had his remarks questioned. color.