by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
Just as voters overwhelmingly supported of Virginia Norton’s campaign for Circuit Court Judge, friends and family packed Courtroom 4 and an additional room, of the Duval County Courthouse for the ceremonial swearing in of the new judge.
Norton was successful in her fourth attempt to win a seat on the bench of the Fourth Judicial Circuit by earning more than 50 percent in all three counties — Duval, Clay and Nassau — in the circuit. Previously she had applied for appointments for judgeships twice, making the short list on her second attempt. She campaigned for a seat on the Duval County bench in 2006, but that race was won by County Judge Dawn Hudson, who was in the courtroom Thursday to welcome Norton to the bench. A key member of her 2008 campaign team spoke about her determination and energy.
“I found that everywhere I went, she’d already been,” said attorney Hugh Cotney. “I would talk to people about voting for my good friend Virginia Norton, and they would tell me, oh yes, she’s been to our civic club, our church and we met her when she was out campaigning and she stopped and talked to us and had a wonderful time.”
One of Norton’s first bosses commented on the value she brought to the firm.
“(Thomas) Jefferson wrote that justice is innate, it’s natural. It has to be something that you strive for and it’s something you have to work on every day and it’s a part of your soul,” said Jim Moseley Sr. “I think Mr. Jefferson would be proud to describe you.”
Admitted to the Florida Bar in 1997, Norton has worked in private practice and public service with the City’s Office of General Counsel. Chief Deputy General Counsel Cindy Laquidara talked about the value of the former City employee
“In 1999, I was looking for someone who was really, really smart and who could handle crowds in the special master program,” said Laquidara. “That brought me to Virginia Norton.”
Norton was welcomed to the bench by Circuit Court Judge Lance Day, who has known Norton for about 15 years.
“By your oath today you are no longer a member of any political party, your right to assemble now has been restricted and your right to free speech now has been abridged,” said Day. “You are now charged to serve with impartiality in all matters that come before you. As a judge, your service to the community is now in the role of being the protector of its written word of law.”
The ceremony finished with Norton giving people an idea of what they could expect from one of the four new judges the Fourth Judicial Circuit will welcome this year.
“I’d like to talk about some things that I believe in, because it tells you a lot about me as person and what I’ll be like as a judge,” said Norton. “I believe when life seems to be unjustly tough, god is just preparing you for a future test that will require you to be tougher than you ever imagined. I believe that life’s greatest surprises are often life’s greatest blessings. I believe it is a fabulous thing to be a woman and called sweet. It doesn’t mean that you are weak. It means you’ve realized that compassion equals strength. I believe when you make a decision based on it’s the right thing to do or out of pure love you can never make a mistake. I believe that if you want to be the most powerful person in the room, forgive someone. It’s the most powerful thing we as human beings can do.”
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