WHEREAS, the Honorable Jonathan Cooper Thacher, a judge of the Fairfax Circuit Court of the 19th Judicial Circuit of Virginia, retired on December 1, 2013; and

WHEREAS, Jonathan Thacher graduated from the University of Miami in 1970 and was commissioned in the United States Army; and

WHEREAS, over the course of his decorated military career, Jonathan Thacher earned the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the National Defense Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, and the Vietnam Campaign Ribbon; and

WHEREAS, following his honorable discharge, Jonathan Thacher continued to serve his country as a member of the Naval Investigative Service, now known as the Naval Criminal Investigative Service; and

WHEREAS, after earning a law degree from George Mason University, Jonathan Thacher practiced law in Fairfax for 14 years; and

WHEREAS, Jonathan Thacher served as a substitute judge in the Fairfax County General District and Juvenile and Domestic Relations Courts of the 19th Judicial District of Virginia and several other courts in the area for eight years; and

WHEREAS, Judge Thacher was elected as a judge on the Fairfax County General District Court of the 19th Judicial District of Virginia, on which he served from 1994 to 1998; and

WHEREAS, in 1998, Judge Thacher was elected as a judge on the Fairfax County Circuit Court of the 19th Judicial Circuit of Virginia, where he presided with great fairness and wisdom until his retirement; and

WHEREAS, Judge Thacher is a distinguished adjunct professor of law at George Mason University and frequently gives lectures to law-enforcement agencies on ethics and other legal topics; and

WHEREAS, Judge Thacher remained an active alumnus of George Mason University, serving the university community as a president of the Alumni Associations for both the university and the law school; he was elected Alumni of the Year in 1999; and

WHEREAS, Judge Thacher worked to better the Fairfax community by volunteering his time as a member and leader of many civic and service organizations; and

WHEREAS, a man of great character, Judge Thacher has served the community, Commonwealth, and nation with great dedication and distinction; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Honorable Jonathan Cooper Thacher on the occasion of his retirement in 2013; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Honorable Jonathan Cooper Thacher as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for his lifetime of service to the Commonwealth and the nation.