Chief judge of 4th Circuit appeals court retires

Karen Williams, chief judge of the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and the first female judge on the court, has retired because of illness.

Her departure leaves five vacancies on the 15-judge court that covers the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and North and South Carolina. It is the last stop for most appeals except for the relative handful accepted by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Williams, 57, a former teacher and lawyer from South Carolina, was appointed by President George H.W. Bush and joined the court in 1992.

She retired after receiving a diagnosis that she is in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, according to a statement from her office in South Carolina.

"She's one of life's sweet people, and we're going to miss her terribly. She reflects the graciousness and generosity of the state from which she comes," said a colleague, Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III, reached by telephone at his Charlottesville office yesterday.

Wilkinson said Williams is "a kind and even-handed person who was devoted to the institution and always placed the court before herself. . . . Our heart goes out to her and to her family as she battles this illness.

"She has an indomitable spirit and I think as she deals with this she will be the same kind of inspiration to us in the future as she has always been in the past," he said.

Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law, said, "I think it's really unfortunate for the court to lose someone who is a very experienced judge and the chief judge for the last two years. That's a substantial loss."

Tobias said there are 17 to 18 vacancies among the judges of 12 regional courts of appeal in the country and that the 4th Circuit has the highest number.

The 4th Circuit has long had a reputation as one of the most conservative in the country. Of the court's remaining 10 judges, five were nominated by Republican presidents and five by Democrats.

With President Barack Obama in office, Tobias said, "if you think the appointing president makes a difference, and it does to an extent . . . I think [the court's] reputation will change."

Perhaps of greatest concern, Tobias said, is the ability of the court to handle cases with a third of its judges missing. Thus far, Obama has made one nomination, that of Andre Davis, a federal judge in Maryland.

Williams' replacement is expected to come from South Carolina, Tobias said.

Contact Frank Green at (804) 649-6340 or .