THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, February 14, 1995 TAG: 9502140310
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARC DAVIS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
Norfolk Circuit Judge Lydia C. Taylor has picked up endorsements from four state law groups in her bid to become an appeals court judge.
Taylor won her latest, and biggest, endorsement Monday from the Virginia State Bar, the state agency that includes all 20,000 active lawyers.
The bar on Monday endorsed four candidates for one open seat on the Virginia Court of Appeals. In addition to Taylor, the bar endorsed Circuit Judges Rosemarie Annunziata of Fairfax County, William S. Robertson of Warrenton, and Roy B. Willett of Roanoke.
Of that group, only three candidates - Taylor, Annunziata and Willett - also have endorsements from the Virginia Bar Association, a voluntary lawyers' organization; the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association; and the Virginia Women Attorneys Association.
The General Assembly will appoint a new appeals judge in the next two weeks.
Taylor, 55, has been a Circuit Court judge for seven years. Before that, she was a General District Court judge, an assistant city attorney and a law clerk in Norfolk's federal court.
She is vying for a seat that will open June 1 with the retirement of Judge Bernard G. Barrow, formerly of Virginia Beach. Barrow, 57, aired his decision last month. Since then, 14 candidates have applied for his job. Taylor is the only one from South Hampton Roads. Two are from the Peninsula: Hampton Commonwealth's Attorney Christopher W. Hutton and Newport News Circuit Judge Robert P. Frank.
Over the past week, several law groups have issued endorsements:
The Virginia Bar Association, a group of 5,400 lawyers, backed Taylor, Annunziata, Willett, Hutton, and Fredericksburg Circuit Judge William H. Ledbetter Jr.
The Virginia Trial Lawyers Association endorsed as ``highly qualified'' Taylor, Annunziata, Willett, Frank and Robertson.
The Virginia Women Attorneys Association endorsed as ``highly recommended'' Taylor, Annunziata, Willett and Juvenile Judge Eugene E. Lohman of Abingdon; as ``recommended'' Frank and Ledbetter; as ``qualified'' Assistant Attorney General John H. McLees Jr.
The Virginia Association of Commonwealth's Attorneys backs its own president, Hutton.
It is possible more than one candidate will win an appeals judgeship. That could happen if a current appeals court judge is promoted to the Virginia Supreme Court, where one empty seat must be filled.
There are nine candidates for the Supreme Court job, including three judges now on the Court of Appeals: Chief Judge Lawrence L. Koontz Jr., J.M.H. Willis Jr. and Larry G. Elder. Only one candidate is from Hampton Roads: Williamsburg Circuit Judge William L. Person Jr. On Monday, the State Bar endorsed Koontz, Willis and Staunton Circuit Judge Rudolph Bumgardner III. Koontz also has endorsements from the bar association, the trial lawyers group and the women lawyers group. ILLUSTRATION: Lydia C. Taylor
CANDIDATES ENDORSED
Three candidates have been endorsed for one open seat on the
Virginia Court of Appeals by the Virginia State Bar, the Virginia
Bar Association, the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association and the
Virginia Women Attorneys Association:
Norfolk Circuit Judge Lydia C. Taylor
Fairfax Circuit Judge Rosemarie Annunziata
Roanoke Circuit Judge Roy B. Willett
KEYWORDS: JUDGESHIPS by CNB