Bill Text: VA SJR285 | 2013 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Gregory E. Lucyk.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2013-03-05 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ285ER) [SJR285 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2013-SJR285-Enrolled.html
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WHEREAS, Gregory E. Lucyk, Esquire, Chief Staff Attorney of the Supreme Court of Virginia, has announced his intention to retire on March 1, 2013, after more than three decades of distinguished public service; and WHEREAS, Greg Lucyk began his legal career in 1976 as a law clerk for the Honorable Robert N.C. Nix, Jr., Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, and thereafter took a position as staff attorney with the Community Legal Services program in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he advocated to preserve the availability of housing and nutrition programs for low-income families needing such assistance; and WHEREAS, in January 1979, Greg Lucyk was appointed by the board of directors of the Virginia Poverty Law Center, Inc., in Richmond, Virginia, to advocate on behalf of Virginia's low-income citizens, and he served in that program as project director and managing attorney for five years; and WHEREAS, in May 1984, Greg Lucyk joined the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia as an Assistant Attorney General and later as Senior Assistant Attorney General and Section Chief in the Civil Litigation Division, where he handled an extensive trial and appellate caseload on behalf of the Commonwealth, its agencies, and employees, including arguing in the Supreme Court of the United States, and appearing many times in the Supreme Court of Virginia, the federal courts of appeals, and in the state and federal trial courts; and WHEREAS, Greg Lucyk's service has benefited the people of Virginia in many significant ways, including through his participation in 1986 as counsel for the Commonwealth in the prosecution of a nationwide federal suit alleging oil price gouging by major oil companies in the In re: Stripper Well Oil Overcharge cases, ultimately resulting in a settlement that netted over $140 million in refund payments from the oil companies to the Commonwealth for use in energy conservation related programs; and WHEREAS, Greg Lucyk served as lead counsel for the Commonwealth in several high-profile redistricting cases in Virginia, including successfully defending against an injunction action claiming political gerrymandering in a case that was argued before a three-judge federal court in RPV v. Wilder, 774 F.Supp. 400 (W.D.Va. 1991), and defeating a constitutional challenge to the newly created majority/minority 18th Senate District in Virginia in a judgment that was upheld by the Supreme Court of Virginia in Jamerson v. Womack, 244 Va. 506 (1992); and WHEREAS, Greg Lucyk served as lead counsel in 1994 on the trial team defending the Commonwealth in the Federal Retirees Pension Tax Litigation, a $700 million claim that was litigated and concluded with a judgment and legislative settlement that resolved the case for less than $420 million in payments, providing a substantial savings for Virginia's taxpayers; and WHEREAS, Greg Lucyk served as lead counsel on the Attorney General's litigation team representing Virginia in the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement that was finally resolved in November 1998 with a nationwide $206 billion settlement that brought millions of dollars into the Commonwealth for economic development projects, smoking cessation initiatives, and other public interest programs; and WHEREAS, Greg Lucyk joined the Judicial Staff of the Supreme Court of Virginia in January 2002 as Chief Staff Attorney, where he supervised a staff of attorneys who assisted the Justices in reviewing some 2,700 cases annually in order to identify and provide recommendations on appeals that presented significant issues for review by the Court; and WHEREAS, Greg Lucyk has been appointed to numerous commissions and advisory boards intended to improve the administration of justice in the Commonwealth, including, among other things, service on the Supreme Court's Indigent Defense Training Commission, which provides an annual training event at no charge for public defenders and attorneys who represent indigent defendants in criminal cases; service on the Courthouse Security Initiative, which sought and obtained grants from the federal Department of Homeland Security to conduct inspections and surveys in dozens of local courthouses around the Commonwealth in order to recommend measures to improve courthouse safety and security; and service in a leadership role on the Commission on Mental Health Law Reform, which provided legislative recommendations to the Virginia General Assembly for reforming Virginia's involuntary commitment process and improving the delivery of mental health services to Virginia's citizens; and WHEREAS, Greg Lucyk has been recognized by others for his outstanding service to the citizens of the Commonwealth, including receiving an award in March 1983 from the Virginia Housing Coalition "for Dedicated Leadership and Service"; a Distinguished Service Award in June 1986 from the Office of the Attorney General for "meritorious and professional public service"; a Certificate of Appreciation in January 2002 from the Virginia Department of State Police for "zealous, competent and professional representation"; and an Outstanding Service Award in September 2010 from the Supreme Court of Virginia for "upholding and promoting the highest standards of excellence in Virginia's Judicial System"; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Gregory E. Lucyk for his distinguished service on the occasion of his upcoming retirement; and, be it RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Gregory E. Lucyk as an expression of the General Assembly's gratitude, admiration, and respect for his dedicated service and efforts on behalf of the people, agencies, and government of the Commonwealth of Virginia. |
