Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-19
Bill to Add Judges
Heads for Passage
Damn Muy Get
One of Two Posts
To Be Created
BY ALEX r. PRESTON
Star Stan Correspondent

RICHMOND, Jan. 19.-LegiS-
alton giving Northern Virginia
,wo additional Circuit Court
Judges has cleared its first ma
ior hurdle and was headed today
Tor passage by the State Senate.
The name of former Delegate
George Damn was most fire.
luently heard around the legis-
Iative corridors in the Capitol
IS Arlington's third jurist.
Reports reaching here also In
iicate there is considerable sup
port within the Arlington bar
for Emery N. Hosmer, who now
serves as Judge protein Of the
Arlington Circuit Court.
The situation with respect to
the 18th Circuit, made up Of
and Fairfax and
Prince William Counties. seems
to be more complex.
Legislation providing a third
Judge each for the 18th and the
Arlington circuits was approved
by the Senate Courts Of Justice
Committee yesterday.
18th Possibilities
Among possibilities being men,
toned for the 18th are Civil and
Police Court Judge James r.
Duncan and Mayor Leroy Bend
helm, both of Alexandria; for
mer Trial Justice Harry Carrico
and former Delegate Robert J.
McCandlish, both of Fairfax.
Also figuring in speculation
here are the names Of Albert v.
Bryan, jr., son Of the Federal
Court judge, and Tom Moncure.
former Democratic Committee
chairman, both Of Alexandria;
r. ]. Lillard, who is in Mr.. Nc
Candlish's law firm, and James
Keith, both of Fairfax.
There was another report
making the rounds that a move
might develop to cut Alexandria
out of the 18th Circuit. The
reasoning is said to be this:
1t could be argued that, for
the time being, Alexandria.
which already has two judges in
its Corporation Court, could get
along without an additional
Judge. If the city were removed
from the circuit, the work-load
ON the two circuit judges, Paul
Brown of Fairfax. and Arthur
Sinclair of Prince William, would
be curtailed SO that they could
handle their dockets without
additional help.
Would Establish Need
But. political rumors say. when
the Legislature comes back two
years hence, the need for a third
Judge in the Fairfax-Prince Will
liam circuit would be established.
Alexandria by then would no
longer be a factor in the COM
petition for the judgeship.
Under the present arrange
ment, Alexandria is expected to
make a strong bid for the judge
ship. 1t will be argued that
Prince William and Fairfax, each
has a judge and consequently
Alexandria is entitled to the
third.
Virginia's system of selecting
judges is fraught with political
implications. The decision as to
who will be a Judge usually is
made in the Democratic eau.
cuses. where the real knock
down. drag-out fights occur over
contested positions.
After the wounds are inflicted
there, however. 1t is customary
for the Democratic-controlled
legislature to officially elect the
judges with a dignified display
of apparent unanimity, or
nearly so.
Sidetracks Republicans
Inasmuch as the actual deci-
sions usually occur in caucus.
this gives the Republicans-who
number only 9 out of 140 menu
bers of the General Assembly
practically no voice in electing
the States judiciary.
State Senator Mosby G. Per.
row of Lynchburg sponsored the
legislation creating the two adj
.ditional judgeships for Northern
Virginia and rearranging circuits
elsewhere in Virginia. He headed
"a special commission that
studied the subject.
The commission study, in
cidentally. was an outgrowth of
demands made at the 1854 ses-
sion of the Assembly. by Arling-
ton as well as other areas, for
additional judges. 1t developed
into such a politically hot potato
that the 1854 session decided to
defer the matter for study.
Damn Favored
But in that year, there we're
many members of the Legis.
lature who said they were will
ing to give Arlington a third
Judge "if 1t goes to George
Damn"
Mr.. Damn was a popular
member of the Legislature who
voluntarily retired from the
House of Delegates after the
1852 session. There is talk In
this session similar to that
heard two years ago by Mr..
Damm's former colleagues. AS a
practical matter, the legislators
like to know in advance who the
favored candidates are-even
before the Democratic caucuses.
Sometimes this determines. to a
great extent. whether or not
legislation creating new judg-
ships gets passed.
Z