On October 17, 2014, the Virginia legal community was surprised to learn of the death of former Loudoun County General District Judge Julia Cannon. Judge Cannon served on the bench in Loudoun from the early 1990s until her retirement in 2011. Judge Cannon had graduated from the University of Virginia Law School.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lawyers of The Gordon Law Firm, Alex Gordon and Carlos Wall, had appeared in her Loudoun courtroom more than 100 times during their career representing clients accused of misdemeanors such as Possession of Marijuana, Reckless Driving, and DUI.
Loudoun Times reporter Trevor Baratko spoke to Attorney General Mark Herring, who is from Loudoun County. \u201cJudge Cannon was a wonderful person and a great judge,\u201d Mark Herring said. \u201cLoudoun was fortunate to have her. She was well-respected by those who entered her court room and well-liked by those who knew her outside of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leesburg-based attorney John Flannery also said in an interview with Baratko that \u201cCannon was an exceptional lawyer and a fair no-nonsense judge who did her homework and came to court ready to discuss what needed to be done \u2014 and to get it done promptly,\u201d Flannery said. \u201cJulia was active in the community and popular on and off the bench. It\u2019s a shocking and unpleasant surprise that we\u2019ve lost her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex Gordon had appeared before her in court when she served as a substitute judge just weeks before she succumbed to her battle with cancer. \u201cAs usually, she greeted me with a smile on her face and treated my client kindly and with respect.\u201d Gordon said. \u201cShe will be missed for her fairness and good humor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We always hope that judges like Judge Cannon get approved by the Virginia state legislature to the bench. Her respect for professionalism, understanding or reasonable doubt, and her positive demeanor to all lawyers and litigants should be an example to others. We were fortunate to have the privilege of practicing before her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n