2025 SESSION

INTRODUCED

25106373D

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 636

Offered February 11, 2025

Commending the Honorable R. Frances O'Brien.

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Patrons—Hope, Lopez and McClure; Senators: Ebbin, Favola and Salim

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WHEREAS, the Honorable R. Frances O'Brien, a respected jurist in Arlington County and the City of Falls Church, retires as a chief judge of the 17th Judicial District of Virginia in 2025; and

WHEREAS, Frances O'Brien holds degrees from Mount St. Mary's University and the Loyola University School of Law; she worked in private practice early in her legal career and served as an assistant state's attorney in Baltimore, Maryland; and

WHEREAS, in 1996, Frances O'Brien settled in Northern Virginia and worked as a senior assistant Commonwealth's attorney for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church, where she prosecuted a wide range of cases, from traffic offenses to murder, and further honed her legal acumen; and

WHEREAS, Frances O'Brien was appointed as a judge of the General District Court for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church on July 1, 2013, and has presided over the court with great fairness and wisdom; and

WHEREAS, during her tenure on the bench, Frances O'Brien was selected by her peers to serve as chief judge and demonstrated visionary leadership by creating new processes and procedures to enhance the legal system and better serve the public; and

WHEREAS, Frances O'Brien created and presided over the Arlington County Behavioral Health Docket, which has diverted numerous eligible defendants with mental health disorders away from the criminal docket and into community-based treatment programs; and

WHEREAS, Frances O'Brien has served the residents of Arlington County, the City of Falls Church, and the Commonwealth with the utmost integrity, dedication, and distinction; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Honorable R. Frances O'Brien on the occasion of her retirement as chief judge of the General District Court for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Honorable R. Frances O'Brien as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for her outstanding service to the Commonwealth.