Judge Wilson to Retire August 1

Judge Samuel G. Wilson announced that he will retire August 1 after twenty four years as a United States District Judge for the Western District of Virginia.  I served as a law clerk for Judge Wilson in Roanoke, Virginia during my first year after law school, and I cannot say enough good things about him as a jurist and a person.  Judge Wilson's decision is a bit unusual considering that most federal judges go on senior status when they turn 65, instead of retiring outright.  More surprising, especially if you didn't know Judge Wilson, is that after retiring, he plans to spend a year in Taipei teaching American criminal justice at National Taiwan University.  I can't say that I saw that coming, but his decision to tackle a new adventure in a different part of the world is not surprising.  The Roanoke Times has a very nice article describing Judge Wilson's "rapid trajectory" as a prosecutor, lawyer, magistrate judge and then being named the youngest federal judge in Western Virginia.  Judge Wilson is quoted as saying: "Going somewhere different an taking on a challenge is kind of my way of easing out of it.... I suppose one of the reasons I'm leaving is I think it's important to put power down and see the world the way everyone else sees it."