Bill Text: VA SJR315 | 2015 | Regular Session | Enrolled

Virginia Senate Joint Resolution 315 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Commending the Honorable Gwendolyn Jones Jackson.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-1)

Status: (Passed) 2015-02-13 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ315ER) [SJR315 Detail]

Download: Virginia-2015-SJR315-Enrolled.html

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 315 Commending the Honorable Gwendolyn Jones Jackson. Agreed to by the Senate, February 5, 2015 Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 13, 2015

WHEREAS, the Honorable Gwendolyn Jones Jackson, a highly respected former chief judge of the Norfolk General District Court of the Fourth Judicial District of Virginia, retires as a judge in February 2015 after 24 years of service; and

WHEREAS, Gwendolyn Jackson earned a bachelor's degree from Hampton University and a law degree from the University of Virginia; she practiced law for 17 years as a partner in the firm of Sams, Shelton, Anderson, and Jackson, specializing in real estate law, employment law, wills, adoptions, and incorporations; and

WHEREAS, well-known in the legal field, Gwendolyn Jackson was a charter member of the Tidewater Women's Bar Association and a member of several other professional organizations; she was appointed by the Norfolk City Council to the board of trustees of the Norfolk Employees' Retirement System and was later elected chair; and

WHEREAS, Gwendolyn Jackson was appointed as a judge of the Norfolk General District Court of the Fourth Judicial District of Virginia in 1991; she was the first African American woman appointed to any court in the Hampton Roads area and the second woman appointed as a judge in Norfolk; and

WHEREAS, originally assigned to the Traffic Division of the Norfolk General District Court, Gwendolyn Jackson ably responded to the high volume, presiding over more than 200,000 cases from 1991 to 1995; and

WHEREAS, in 1995, Gwendolyn Jackson transferred to the Civil Division of the Norfolk General District Court and handled more than 315,000 cases until 2004; at the time, Norfolk had the second-highest civil docket in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, Gwendolyn Jackson was elected as chief judge from 2000 to 2004; during her tenure, she worked with the city manager and city council to plan the construction of a new courthouse and instituted an awards program for clerks; and

WHEREAS, as chief judge, Gwendolyn Jackson worked with the Virginia State Police, the Norfolk Police Department, and the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court to serve better the members of the public by making Norfolk's high-volume traffic docket more efficient; and

WHEREAS, a woman of great integrity, Gwendolyn Jackson served the City of Norfolk and the Commonwealth with the utmost professionalism, dedication, and distinction; and

WHEREAS, after her well-earned retirement, Gwendolyn Jackson will seek new opportunities to serve and enhance the lives of her fellow Norfolk community members; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Honorable Gwendolyn Jones Jackson on the occasion of her retirement as a judge of the Norfolk General District Court; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Honorable Gwendolyn Jones Jackson as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for her years of dedication and devotion to the legal system and the citizens of the Commonwealth.