DATE: Monday, September 15, 1997            TAG: 9709150078

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:  118 lines

TRAILBLAZING JURIST RETIRES, REFLECTS ON HIS ROLE IN LIVES

When Lester V. Moore became Norfolk's first black judge 22 years ago, it was a shocker whenever a teen-ager appeared before him on a murder charge.

Now, a generation later, it's not unusual to see several youthful murder suspects a month in a Norfolk juvenile courtroom.

When Moore retired Sept. 1, he left behind a juvenile justice system that had undergone a sea of change since he first donned his robe in January 1976.

Today's youthful suspects are more violent. They are more likely to use drugs and join gangs. Perhaps most important, they are more likely to have been raised in fractured homes that do not nurture them or teach them right from wrong.

Every week, Moore, one of three other juvenile judges, waded through hundreds of cases involving children and families. The narrow courthouse hallways are sometimes jammed in the morning as kids charged with crimes await hearings, couples claim domestic violence, and parents jostle for custody or child support.

It gets loud. There are plenty of angry words and tears - the result of families torn apart.

``It's not a good feeling at all because it reflects societal behaviors and dysfunction when you see juveniles in court,'' Moore said. ``Then you look at the families they come from.

``I truly believe this is at the root of problems today. . . . When you're faced with that each and every day, you have to fight your personal feelings of disappointment and depression.''

Through it all, though, Moore learned to temper his jurisprudence with compassion.

But now, at 54 - an age when many jurists are just beginning their careers - he is stepping down.

Early in the summer, Moore began thinking about how he was responding to the disheartening changes in troubled youths and the crimes they commit. Though it is a taxing job, Moore said, he was not stressed out, nor did he feel emotionally spent. It was simply time to move on.

``I started to consider whether or not someone else should have a crack at these problems,'' he said. ``In the end, I concluded that 22 years in a job is sufficient.''

It may take some time for the word ``retire'' to dawn on him. His wife, Thelma, also recently retired after 32 years in the Chesapeake school system.

``The true feeling of retirement will sink in later, when I realize I'm not coming back,'' Moore said. ``The main thing I feel at the moment is gratitude at the response I received since my announcement.''

Moore speaks with animated gestures, punctuated with moments of pensive silence. Taking a break from cleaning out his chambers to make way for his successor, Joseph P. Massey, Moore said there was no single event that drove him to step down.

However, several considerations weighed on his decision, such as the escalating number of juvenile cases and the number of years he has been on the bench.

``It's sobering, when I reflect back on the length of time I've been here,'' he said. ``The juveniles I knew are now adults. If you look at it, I have been here long enough for an entire generation.''

Not only was Moore the city's first black judge, but at 32, he also was the youngest. He was the third black judge appointed statewide.

Moore said he is satisfied with the work he has done. His greatest pleasure as a jurist came from ruling on custody cases that began in a morass of anger and tension and resulted in everyone benefiting from the outcome.

And he said he often hears from someone who as a youthful miscreant faced him in court. Nearly everyone who calls or writes expresses gratitude.

``They take great pleasure in telling me about their lives and the effect I've had on them,'' he said. ``It's extremely gratifying and encouraging to see that.''

Lisa McKeel, a former Norfolk prosecutor who tried mainly juvenile criminal cases, said Moore cared for children and could quickly size them up.

``He has a keen eye for knowing which kids could be rehabilitated and kids you know would not come into the system again,'' said McKeel, who now heads the Department of Criminal Justice Services in Richmond. ``He would lecture them and . . . make them understand the importance of the judicial system.

``He's one of the best judges I've seen.''

When he was appointed by the Virginia General Assembly in 1976, Moore was under a magnifying glass.

A Norfolk native, he filled a vacancy created by the early retirement of Judge H. Warrington Sharp.

Current City Treasurer Joseph T. Fitzpatrick was serving his first term as a state senator when he helped lead the push for Moore to be elected as the city's first black jurist.

Fitzpatrick's ties to Moore date back to the mid-1960s when he worked with Moore's father, Lester Moore Sr., now deceased. The elder Moore was a longtime political leader in the black community and member of the city's Democratic Committee. Fitzpatrick said he knew Lester Jr. since the future judge was in high school.

He said he was not very surprised when Moore decided to retire.

``If you sit in any of the courts as an observer day in and day out, you begin to understand the grueling nature of that position,'' Fitzpatrick said.

Fellow Juvenile Court Judge William P. Williams has served with Moore since 1994. But he and Moore have known each other since their days in the Norfolk's Young Democrats club in the 1970s.

Moore's sound judgments, tempered with humor, have added much to the courts, Williams said.

``Some of the things that happen here are kind of depressing,'' Williams said. ``And it helps to break the pattern a little bit. It's been invaluable to have him around.''

Moore said his appointment made a positive impact in the black community.

Being the first black judge in Tidewater came during a time when African Americans were making strides across the country. Lawmakers realized that, Moore said.

Moore said he wants to stay in touch with what's going on in the juvenile justice system. He said he also will explore other options, remain an active substitute judge, perhaps write, and rest.

``I'm hoping, maybe, to take up golf,'' he said. ``All my friends play, and I don't.''

Like many judges, he said, he's resisted allowing his emotions to factor into his court decisions. He sums up his style after two decades on the bench as strict adherence to the law.

``I made it a point of listening to each and every case,'' he said. ``. . . And as years went on, I learned how to integrate compassion, understanding, mercy and common sense. In my 22 years of service, I feel that's been the bedrock of my judicial approach and philosophy.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

Lester V. Moore KEYWORDS: RETIREMENT PROFILE INTERVIEW

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