Saturday, March 04, 2006
New River Valley judge will not be reappointed
General District Judge John Quigley likely will be replaced by "Woody" Lookabill.
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From The Roanoke Times
RICHMOND -- Veteran General District Judge John Quigley, who presides in Montgomery County and Radford, will not be reappointed to the bench by the General Assembly.
A majority of the Republican legislators who represent the 27th Judicial District have decided against reappointing Quigley to another six-year term and are instead backing Pulaski County Circuit Court Clerk Glenwood "Woody" Lookabill for the job. Lookabill was interviewed Friday by the legislature's judicial selection panel. He appears likely to be elected by the General Assembly on Wednesday, when lawmakers fill a host of judicial vacancies around the state.
Quigley, whose term expires March 31, was not interviewed by the judicial selection panel. New River Valley legislators said little Friday about why he will not be reappointed after 12 years on the bench.
Because Republicans control both houses of the legislature, the decision over the judgeship effectively rests with the GOP delegates and senators who represent the sprawling circuit, which covers the counties of Montgomery, Floyd, Giles, Bland, Carroll and Grayson, and the cities of Radford and Galax.
Quigley was reprimanded by the state's Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission in 2003, but it is unclear how much that affected lawmakers' decision to choose a new judge.
"I have no comment out of respect for Judge Quigley's privacy," said Del. Anne Crockett-Stark, R-Wytheville, who is supporting Lookabill.
Quigley could not be reached for comment Friday.
The JIRC panel cited Quigley for 11 cases in which he accepted pleas or took cases under advisement while requiring defendants to make donations of $1,000 to $5,000 to the Radford Narcotics Investigation Fund, according to documents the commission provided the General Assembly. The cases were heard between 1999 and 2001.
The commission also cited Quigley for failing to recuse himself from three traffic cases that involved a friend, the friend's son and the son's friend. The commission voted 5-2 to reprimand Quigley and place him under supervision.
Del. Dave Nutter, R-Christiansburg, said he wanted to reappoint Quigley, despite the fact that the judge "had some issues come up during his second term."
"I didn't think that they rose to the level of not reappointing him," Nutter said.
Crockett-Stark praised Lookabill, citing his experience as a private lawyer, an assistant commonwealth's attorney and clerk to late Virginia Supreme Court Justice Alexander Harman. Lookabill has served as Pulaski's Circuit Court clerk since 1988.
"He has a very sharp mind," said Crockett-Stark, who represents part of Pulaski County. "I think his experience gives him a real strong balance."
Lawmakers also will fill a newly created General District judgeship in the 27th District next week. Grayson County Commonwealth's Attorney J.D. Bolt is the only candidate who has been interviewed for the job.
Montgomery County Commonwealth's Attorney Joey Showalter is the only candidate who has been interviewed for a vacant circuit court judgeship in the same district.
Staff writer Joe Eaton contributed to this report.
