The VLW Blog

Two deputies have been injured in a shooting incident involving an inmate at the Fauquier County courthouse, according to published reports.
The Associated Press said the inmate was in custody and the deputies were taken for medical care.  WUSA reports the incident occurred just after 1 p.m., and that one deputy was shot and the other [...]

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Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell wants the federal government to get cracking on exploration for oil and natural gas off Virginia’s coast.
In a letter to U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar made public today, McDonnell wrote, “A key priority for us here in Virginia is the development of the full range of energy resources, both traditional and renewable, [...]

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As the year draws to a close, two Virginia judges (and one former judge) have announced career changes for 2010:
Petersburg J&DR Judge James Hume plans to trade the bench for the pulpit after he steps down this month. A 2006 graduate of the Virginia Union University School of Theology, Judge Hume plans to focus full-time [...]

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U.S. District Judge Glen Conrad has denied motions to dismiss excessive force and conspiracy claims filed by a former jail inmate who claims he was injured by guards at the Roanoke jail.
Relying on the touchstone cases of Twombly and Iqbal , Roanoke Sheriff Octavia Johnson argued DaVon Bell’s complaint about a pervasive pattern of excessive [...]

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A woman who had her case dismissed because she increased the amount sued for after taking a nonsuit filed a petition for appeal with the Supreme Court of Virginia earlier this month.
Elaine Spear alleged that she fell out of a wheelchair and was injured when a mobile lounge at Washington Dulles International Airport stopped abruptly.
She [...]

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Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell has appointed three members to his cabinet, including two lawyers.
Lisa Hicks-Thomas of the attorney general’s office will be his Secretary of Administration, reports the Richmond-Times Dispatch. According to a press release from the govenor-elect’s office, Hicks-Thomas has worked in the attorney general’s office since 2001 and was appointed deputy attorney general for [...]

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More than a hundred “homeless” dogs can give thanks to a law firm of generous dog lovers this holiday season.  The divorce law firm of Shoun, Bach, Walinsky & Curran in Fairfax decided to sponsor the 132 dogs at a local shelter for three months as a seasonal contribution to the community.
“We are a law [...]

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Franklin County Sheriff Ewell Hunt has been arrested and charged with mishandling paperwork at his office.
The Roanoke Times reports the accusation comes out of a grand jury investigation of claims that Hunt directed his office to pay his teenage daughter for hours she did not work.
Hunt apparently is charged with a violation of section 15.2-1722 [...]

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Fear of flu has abated, but it might have been a factor in a successful Batson strike earlier this year.
Frederick J. Smith went on trial in early January in Richmond federal district court on marijuana and firearm charges. The prosecution sought to exclude two black jurors, one because the juror was unemployed, and the other, [...]

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Roanoke neo-Nazi Bill White has been convicted by a jury of four of seven federal charges of making threats, reports WDBJ .
Although various alleged victims testified they were in fear of their lives from White’s menacing messages, White’s lawyers argued his comments were protected by the First Amendment.  White was acquitted of similar charges in [...]

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