When the Eastern Shore’s only resident judge sets down his gavel today, no one will be there to pick it up.
After nearly two decades on the bench, Circuit Judge Glen A. Tyler has reached the mandatory retirement age of 70.
He’s satisfied that his time is up but knows the milestone is ill-timed for those left behind: The General Assembly will not fill judicial vacancies, at least for now.
Come 2011, judges in Virginia Beach will take turns making the two-hour trek to Accomack and Northampton counties to keep the wheels of justice moving. The city is already down one circuit judge of its own.
As for urgent, unexpected matters that call for a judge after hours? Well, that’s going to be complicated, Tyler said.
“It’s a heck of a mess,” said attorney Kevin Martin-gayle, whose firm operates an office in Onancock. “A lot of people think judges have a lot of time on their hands. I used to be a lifeguard. How many minutes out of the day do you think I was charging in the water plucking someone out? Emergencies happen. You’ve got to have judges who have the ability to come out and hear the case.”
The Virginia Beach and Eastern Shore bar associations, as well as the Virginia State Bar Council, each passed a resolution urging lawmakers to reconsider. There are currently about 20 positions open, and that number may grow to 40 by 2012.
The savings expected from the cuts – about $15 million over two years – are relatively insignificant, said Irving Blank, president of the Virginia State Bar. “It’s like spitting in the ocean. You’re not saving anything. You’re just not doing your job.”
Martingayle said there was virtually no place to cut from in the first place. “Courthouses simply cannot function without judges and clerks.”
Del. Lynwood Lewis, who represents Accomack and Northampton, said lawmakers did not foresee the ramifications of the cuts to a place like the Eastern Shore. He is hopeful they will get their judge in 2011; the governor’s budget calls for $1.7 million for high-priority judicial vacancies this session, he said.
“There are at least two other extremely important situations that probably will cry out for some funding as well,” Lewis said.
Some judges are facing massive dockets, Blank said. The Eastern Shore sees an average load, from petty disputes to capital cases.
But the predicament on the Shore is about as unique as the place itself. Unlike anywhere else in Virginia, the judge makes appointments to all the local boards.
“They take a lot of time,” Tyler said. “You have to make sure you appoint people to the posts who are respected by the people on the Eastern Shore because they are going to be making the decisions that affect everybody.”
The culture is that of a place that was virtually isolated until the mid-1900s, a finger of land between a bay and an ocean.
Tyler came there to practice law in 1967 after marrying a local girl he met in college. He’s been a judge since 1992.
“The people on the Eastern Shore are very displeased that there may not be a resident judge here. That’s a big concern,” Tyler said. “Virginia Beach is Virginia’s largest city. The county of Northampton is one of the smallest and the poorest. It’s very helpful to understand the culture of an area like this.”
By Kristin Davis
The Virginian-Pilot
©