Va. Chief Justice Hassell says courts should back learning English.(Leroy Rountree Hassell Sr.)

Byline: Alan Cooper

The Judicial Council of Virginia has balked at a proposal by the Commission on Virginia Courts in the 21st Century for the court system to be more accommodating of those for whom English is a second language.

In doing so, the council followed the lead of Virginia Chief Justice Leroy Rountree Hassell Sr. "We ought to encourage people to learn to use the [English] language and become a part of our culture and our norms," he said at the council's Dec. 10 meeting to review the commission's recommendations.

"We shouldn't encourage people to rely on any language other than English in our courts," he added. A multilingual policy for the court system is at odds with the message the court system should impart: "You have to learn the language and you have to become a part of Virginia," he said.

The references to other languages were in a section of the commission's report that looked at ways to make the court system more user-friendly. The commission endorsed such concepts as better signage in courts and a Web site with "low-literacy tutorials" and short videos about common court proceedings.

The council also backed away from the commission's recommendation for the elimination of the elected position of clerk of the circuit court. The panel adopted Washington County Circuit Judge C. Randall Lowe's suggestion that the court-related portions of the clerk's duties be handled by a judge-appointed court administrator, but that the clerk of court continue to perform the other aspects of the job.

"I'm not sure the judges want to be in charge of the 800 duties a circuit court clerk has," Lowe said.