Judge Alston is a highly qualified and deserving judge

Opinion

During my tenure in the Virginia General Assembly I have met a lot of very qualified and capable judges, and I quickly realized that when judges make it to the General Assembly, they are more than able to handle the job and generally very qualified. Our confirmation is usually procedural in nature. So when the debate over this Virginia Supreme Court nomination began, I initially stayed quiet because as a general rule either way we would end up with a very qualified and competent jurist.

This time it worries me that the tone and rhetoric about this appointment has entered into political mudslinging that questions the character and career of a man that has worked very hard to get to where he is, and not to mention is more than deserving of this appointment.

I am writing today because of a Washington Post article published last week about the candidates. The article writes that Judge Alston did not file some reports. It was clear to me that this was a blatant attempt to target his character. Having learned that Judge Alston had in fact filed his reports and that they were needed for him to even be considered for the appointment to begin with, it reminded me of the ugly political game that continues to operate with no regard for those that it unfairly attacks. Yet, we continue to allow this machine to function with reckless abandon and never hold anyone accountable for the untrue and unnecessary destruction that it leaves behind.

What has alarmed me in the passing days has been the divisive and simplistic rhetoric that has taken the accomplishments of two highly distinguished individuals and boiled their appointments down to their gender and race. I am disappointed with this tactic from both political parties. We have two Virginians to choose from, and at this point it is just a matter of preference. I have been impressed with our Governor and support many of his decisions, but today we differ, because I support Judge Rossie Alston and here is why…

Judge Alston, Prince William County, is eminently qualified to sit on the Supreme Court of Virginia. According to many sources, he has served with distinction as a judge on the Virginia Court of Appeals (2nd Highest Court in the Commonwealth, just below the Virginia Supreme Court position he is up for), he was unanimously elected by the General Assembly to serve on the VA Court of Appeals (no one went against his appointment then), he served as Chief Judge of Prince William County Circuit Court (he elected to that post by his fellow Circuit Court Judges, demonstrating the high regard in which his fellow jurists hold him), and served as an Associate Judge on the Prince William County Circuit Court. And he has been noted for his great judicial temperament and respectful nature.

Instead of just expressing my support for or against the candidates, I need to also address an elephant in the room that has exposed itself in the midst of this strife. How is it that we are able to simplify the credentials of such an outstanding jurist down to “The Republicans only chose him because he was black?” or dehumanize and address him as I saw one blog site post “this Right-Wing Nut Job.” How is it that we can only see race and ignore all that he has accomplished? How is it that Judge Alston was recommended by all major Bar Associations and even the top choice of the Old Dominion Bar, sitting on the second highest court in the Commonwealth, but was never “in our top 5”?

The frustration throughout the country in the African American community continues because of political stunts like this. As a collective, the group feels overlooked, disregarded and taken for granted, and narratives such as the one playing out here only fuel this fire. Is the preference because of qualifications or because on group needs more persuasion to vote a particular way? Judge Alston is a highly qualified and deserving judge, and if anyone speaks to the contrary, I hope you correct them.