THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, November 5, 1996 TAG: 9611050286
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LAURA LAFAY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 82 lines
Junius P. Fulton III, a criminal defense attorney and member of the Norfolk School Board, was appointed to the Norfolk Circuit Court judgeship left vacant in September by the resignation of Judge Luther C. Edmonds.
``J.P. Fulton shares my view of the proper role of the judicial branch of government - that is to administer the law and Constitution, not to make law,'' Gov. George F. Allen said Monday in announcing Fulton's ascension to the bench.
Fulton, 38, grew up in L&J Gardens in Virginia Beach and attended the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg. He spent three years as a prosecutor for the Norfolk commonwealth's attorney's office before going into private practice as a defense attorney in 1989 with a law firm headed by state Del. William P. Robinson Jr.
Fulton has since left Robinson's firm to form his own. He was appointed to the Norfolk School Board in 1994. Fulton said he will assume the judgeship in about 30 days.
Allen said Fulton will bring a ``special perspective'' to the bench because his father was slain when the new judge was a child. Fulton's father, a car dealer, was shot to death by his business partner in 1967. The partner, Ralph N. Boykins, was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison, of which he served 1 1/2 years.
Allen, who two years ago traveled the state with an assortment of crime victims to drum up support for his successful push to abolish parole, has also appointed a rape victim and the mother of a murder victim to the Virginia Parole Board.
Fulton, however, sees his father's slaying as just one part of a large tapestry of life and professional experiences he will bring to the bench.
``You don't have to be a victim of crime to appreciate the pain that crime visits on people,'' he said Monday. ``There are a lot of people out here who have lost loved ones or been victims of crime personally. I suppose I have a special empathy. But you wouldn't be human if you didn't.
``I think my experiences as a prosecutor and a defense attorney give me some balance. I appreciate a defendant's right to a fair trial and a vigorous defense. And I respect the commonwealth's right to a fair trial and a vigorous prosecution.
``Without those things, the system doesn't work at all. And nobody's satisfied.''
Although the General Assembly usually chooses judges, Fulton was appointed by the governor because of Edmonds' unexpected departure from the bench in September. Edmonds resigned after facing disciplinary charges in front of the state's judicial review commission.
The commission was looking into charges that Edmonds mishandled cases involving a former bail bondswoman, Sherry Battle, who is suing the other Circuit Court judges over accusations of racial discrimination. Edmonds has denied any wrongdoing. ILLUSTRATION: THE POSITION
The Norfolk Circuit Court judgeship was left vacant in September by
the resignation of Judge Luther C. Edmonds, who resigned after
facing disciplinary charges before the state's judicial review
commission.
THE NEW JUDGE
Gov. Allen chose Junius P. Fulton III, a criminal defense attorney
and a member of the School Board. Fulton, whose father was murdered
when he was a child, said he will assume the post in about 30 days.
HIS BACKGROUND
Fulton, 38, attended the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College
of William and Mary, spent three years as a prosecutor, entered
private practice as a defense attorney in 1989, and now has his own
practice.
KEYWORDS: JUDGE APPOINTMENT NORFOLK CIRCUIT COURT PROFILE by CNB