James Clinton Turk

James Clinton Turk
James Clinton Turk
Senior Judge of United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia
	In office; November 1, 2002 – July 6, 2014
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia
	In office; 1973–1993
Preceded by	Hiram Emory Widener Jr.
Succeeded by	Jackson L. Kiser
Judge of United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia
	In office; October 17, 1972 – November 1, 2002
Appointed by	Richard Nixon
Preceded by	Hiram Emory Widener Jr.
Succeeded by	Glen E. Conrad
Member of the Virginia Senate; from the 37th district
	In office; January 12, 1972 – October 1972
Preceded by	None (district reestablished)
Succeeded by	John N. Dalton
Member of the Virginia Senate; from the 13th district
	In office; January 12, 1966 – January 12, 1972
Preceded by	Landon R. Wyatt; William F. Stone
Succeeded by	Williard J. Moody
Member of the Virginia Senate; from the 20th district
	In office; January 8, 1964 – January 12, 1966
Preceded by	Hale Collins
Succeeded by	George S. Adhizer II
Member of the Virginia Senate; from the 21st district
	In office; January 13, 1960 – January 8, 1964
Preceded by	Theodore Roosevelt Dalton
Succeeded by	Curry Carter
Personal details
Born	James Clinton Turk; May 3, 1923; Roanoke County, Virginia
Died	July 6, 2014 (aged 91); Radford, Virginia
Political party	Republican
Education	Roanoke College (A.B.); Washington & Lee University (LL.B.)

James Clinton Turk (May 3, 1923 – July 6, 2014) was a Virginia lawyer, state senator and for more than four decades, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia.

Early and family life

Born in

GI Bill, Turk received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from Roanoke College in Salem in 1949. He received a Bachelor of Laws from Washington and Lee University School of Law in 1952 (graduating second in his class). He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Omicron Delta Kappa and the Order of the Coif.^[1]^[2]

He married Barbara Duncan, and they had five children.

Political career

Turk was in private practice in

Byrd Organization. For the 1963 elections, the district covering the same counties and city was renamed the 20th, and the 21st became what had been the 22nd. The restructuring in the 1965 elections was major: Montgomery and Franklin Counties and the city of Radford were now joined as the 13th district with Carroll and Floyd Counties and the city of Galax (which had been represented as the 14th district by Republican S. Floyd Landreth, who had been the only other Republican in the Senate when Turk began, and who now retired). Restructuring after the 1970 census also proved major: Turk was elected from the 37th district, which included the cities of Radford and Galax, as well as Carroll, Floyd, Grayson and Montgomery Counties.^[3] Upon Turk's resignation upon becoming a federal judge, as discussed below, John N. Dalton

replaced him.

Federal judicial service

On September 25, 1972, President Richard Nixon nominated Turk to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia vacated by Judge Hiram Emory Widener Jr. The United States Senate confirmed him on October 12, 1972, and he received his commission on October 17, 1972. Turk served as Chief Judge from 1973 to 1993, and assumed senior status on November 1, 2002, after nearly three decades on the bench. He nonetheless continued to hear many cases, stating in May (shortly before his death) that he was planning to reduce his workload in November. Perhaps his highest profile case involved Rev. Jerry Falwell and Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt. Observers noted that his courtesy and folksy demeanor sometimes caused underestimation of his sharp legal mind. Judge Turk's humility was also shown by his practice of always taking a trash bag on his neighborhood walks, in order to clean up after others.^[4]

Death and legacy

Turk died on July 6, 2014, in Radford, survived by his wife, five children and many grandchildren.^[5] His eldest son Jimmy is a criminal defense attorney in Montgomery County, and his son Bobby Turk became a Montgomery County judge in 2000.^[4]^[6]

References

^ E. Griffith Dodson, The General Assembly of Virginia (1940-1960) p. 591
^ "Senior United States District Judge James C. Turk Dies at Age 91" (PDF).
^ Cynthia Miller Leonard (ed), The General Assembly of Virginia, 1619-1978: A Bicentennial Register of Members (Richmond: Virginia State Library 1978) at pp. 722, 728, 733, 739, 744, 750, 756, 764
^ ^a ^b "U.S. District Judge James Turk dies". 6 July 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
^ 'U.S, District Judge James Turk dies,' Archived 2014-07-23 at the Wayback Machine The Roanoke Times (Virginia), July 6, 2014
^ "Judge James C. Turk, a Judicial Remembrance" (PDF).

Sources

James Clinton Turk at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

Legal offices
Preceded by Hiram Emory Widener Jr.	Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia 1972–2002	Succeeded by Glen E. Conrad
Preceded by Hiram Emory Widener Jr.	Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia 1973–1993	Succeeded by Jackson L. Kiser

[1] E. Griffith Dodson, The General Assembly of Virginia (1940-1960) p. 591

[2] "Senior United States District Judge James C. Turk Dies at Age 91" (PDF).

[3] Cynthia Miller Leonard (ed), The General Assembly of Virginia, 1619-1978: A Bicentennial Register of Members (Richmond: Virginia State Library 1978) at pp. 722, 728, 733, 739, 744, 750, 756, 764

[roanoke.com-4] "U.S. District Judge James Turk dies". 6 July 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2017.

[5] 'U.S, District Judge James Turk dies,' Archived 2014-07-23 at the Wayback Machine The Roanoke Times (Virginia), July 6, 2014

[6] "Judge James C. Turk, a Judicial Remembrance" (PDF).

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