Bill Text: VA SJR147 | 2018 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending the Honorable James C. Cacheris.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Passed) 2018-03-02 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ147ER) [SJR147 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2018-SJR147-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, the Honorable James C. Cacheris, an accomplished judge who presided over numerous high-profile cases over the course of his 46-year career on the bench, retired from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in 2017; and
WHEREAS, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, James Cacheris learned the value of hard work and responsibility from his father, a Greek immigrant who supported his family as a waiter and a restaurant owner; and
WHEREAS, James Cacheris grew up in Maryland and Washington, D.C., where he graduated from Western High School; he earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania, then served his country as a member of the United States Army before earning his law degree from the George Washington University; and
WHEREAS, James Cacheris began his legal career as an assistant corporate counsel in Washington, D.C., then opened a private practice and served clients in Washington, D.C., and the Commonwealth for more than a decade; and
WHEREAS, in 1971, James Cacheris was appointed as a judge of the Fairfax Circuit Court of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit of Virginia; he was the first Republican circuit court judge in Northern Virginia since Reconstruction; and
WHEREAS, James Cacheris presided over the Fairfax Circuit Court with great fairness and wisdom until 1981, when he was appointed as a judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia; and
WHEREAS, James Cacheris was well known for his punctuality, unshakeable demeanor, and attention to detail; several of his rulings were upheld in the Supreme Court of the United States, including Dickerson v. United States, which maintained the requirement that Miranda warnings must be read to criminal suspects; and
WHEREAS, James Cacheris has also been admired for his humility, shunning the spotlight despite his involvement in many other high-profile cases, including United States v. Jacobson, United States v. Russell, Williams v. Taylor, and United States v. Nicholson, which centered around the highest ranking Central Intelligence Agency officer to be convicted of espionage; and
WHEREAS, respected by his peers, James Cacheris was named chief judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and served in that capacity from 1991 to 1997; for much of his later career, James Cacheris served as a senior justice; and
WHEREAS, a man of unfailing integrity, James Cacheris has served the Commonwealth with the utmost dedication and distinction, and he plans to seek new opportunities to serve the community after his well-earned retirement; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Honorable James C. Cacheris on the occasion of his retirement as a judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Honorable James C. Cacheris, as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for his many contributions to Northern Virginia and the United States.