2026 SPECIAL SESSION I

ENROLLED

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2162

Commending the Honorable Joseph Walton Milam, Jr.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, June 22, 2026

WHEREAS, the Honorable Joseph Walton Milam, Jr., former chief judge of the Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit Court serving Danville, Pittsylvania County, and Franklin County, retired from the bench in 2026; and

WHEREAS, after graduating with a bachelor's degree in geology from Emory University, Joseph Milam earned his juris doctor degree in 1983 from the University of Richmond School of Law, where he served as associate editor of the University of Richmond Law Review and as chair of the Student Legal Forum; and

WHEREAS, Joseph Milam worked at Woods Rogers PLC from 1983 to 2001, first as a principal in Roanoke, before moving to Danville in 1990 to help the firm establish its first branch office; in addition to being a member of the firm's Executive Committee, he assisted in its litigation section and general laws section as well as with its health law and intellectual property groups; and

WHEREAS, Joseph Milam was elected to serve as a judge in the Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit by the General Assembly in 2001 and was reelected to his seat in 2009 and 2017, serving the Commonwealth and its citizens faithfully for 24 years; and

WHEREAS, beyond his service with the court, Joseph Milam supported the judicial system of the Commonwealth as a member of the Judicial Council of Virginia, through activities with the Judicial Conference of Virginia for District Courts, and as a mentor with the Supreme Court of Virginia's judicial mentoring program; and

WHEREAS, Joseph Milam also served as a judicial representative with the Virginia Alternative Dispute Resolution Joint Committee of the Virginia Bar Association and the Virginia State Bar, as a member of the Bench-Bar Relations Committee of the Virginia State Bar, as director and president of the Danville Bar Association, and as Virginia Delegate to the American Bar Association's National Conference of State Trial Judges; and

WHEREAS, Joseph Milam has given generously of his personal time to support the community in leadership positions with The Church of the Epiphany in Danville, the United Way of Danville, Goodwill Industries of Danville Area, Inc., the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce, the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History, and the Roanoke Vocational Education Foundation; and

WHEREAS, since retiring as a judge, Joseph Milam has continued to serve as a mediator and neutral for The McCammon Group, a group of retired judges that helps mediate cases before they reach trial, ensuring that his legal expertise and acumen will benefit the community for years to come; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Honorable Joseph Walton Milam, Jr., chief judge of the Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit Court, hereby be commended on the occasion of his retirement from the bench; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Honorable Joseph Walton Milam, Jr., as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for his exemplary service and best wishes in his future endeavors.