The long and winding road

Judge choices dominate legal highlights for 2012

By Peter Vieth
Published: December 10, 2012
Tags: General Assembly, Judgeships, Lawyer Discipline, Million-Dollar Verdicts, Rules of Evidence, Virginia State Bar, Year in Review

Judges and judgeships again made headlines in Virginia legal news in 2012, with the General Assembly earning national attention with its rejection of an openly gay candidate for a general district court seat. The leading VLW story was a report that, in a year of austerity, legislators with access to the budget process managed to [...]

Rules of Evidence a ‘sea change’ for trial practice

By Peter Vieth
Published: July 11, 2012
Tags: Bar Associations, Judge Randy I. Bellows, Rules of Evidence

Judging from the recent buzz, it looks like Virginia lawyers are just beginning to grapple with the difference the new Virginia Rules of Evidence, effective July 1, will make at trial. The new Rules represent a “sea change” in trial practice, according to one expert. Having a black-and-white rule in an evidence code will put [...]

Assembly approves Rules of Evidence

By Peter Vieth
Published: March 14, 2012
Tags: General Assembly, Rules of Evidence, Virginia Bar Association

After what one sponsor termed a “roller coaster” ride in the final days of the session, the 2012 General Assembly approved the creation of a unified set of evidence rules for Virginia courts. Approval of an official Rules of Evidence for Virginia follows about 18 years of discussion and planning. Enactment of the evidence rules [...]

Evidence rules pass Senate, stall in House

By Deborah Elkins
Published: February 7, 2012
Tags: General Assembly, Rules of Evidence

Legislation to adopt Rules of Evidence for Virginia passed the full Senate Feb. 6 and was pending in the House Courts of Justice committee at week’s end after stalling briefly in the House evidence subcommittee. The subcommittee retooled the measure to firm up legislative control of the process for changing the rules over time, then [...]

Bill planned to adopt Rules of Evidence

By Deborah Elkins
Published: December 6, 2011
Tags: General Assembly, Rules of Evidence

The Virginia Code Commission is moving forward with adoption of the Virginia Rules of Evidence, and they’re prepared to call in reinforcements to make their case to members of the General Assembly. On Dec. 5, the commission voted unanimously to support legislation to adopt the Rules of Evidence in the 2012 General Assembly. Sen. John [...]

Kinser: Don’t tinker with Rules of Evidence

By Peter Vieth
Published: October 12, 2011
Tags: Bar Associations, General Assembly, Justice Cynthia D. Kinser, Rules of Evidence, Supreme Court of Virginia News

ROANOKE–Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Cynthia D. Kinser urged the General Assembly to vote thumbs-up or down on the court’s newly endorsed Rules of Evidence without any tweaking of individual rules. The court presented the rules to the Virginia Code Commission earlier this month, and in remarks to the Roanoke Bar Association Tuesday, Kinser said [...]

Virginia high court resurrects Rules of Evidence

By Deborah Elkins
Published: October 4, 2011
Tags: General Assembly, Justice Cynthia D. Kinser, Rules of Evidence, Supreme Court of Virginia

Virginia’s code of evidence emerged from the shadows and came blinking into the sunlight yesterday. The Supreme Court of Virginia has approved “Virginia Rules of Evidence,” clearing the way for enactment of a state code of evidence during the 2012 legislative session. High court opposition has stymied adoption of official Rules of Evidence in Virginia [...]