SJ147: Commending the Honorable James C. Cacheris.


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 147
Commending the Honorable James C. Cacheris.

 

Agreed to by the Senate, February 22, 2018
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 2, 2018

 

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.

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 147

Offered February 15, 2018
Commending the Honorable James C. Cacheris.
Patron-- Surovell

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 19th 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.