The VLW Blog

LeRoy F. Millette Jr. was formally invested today as a justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, who elevated Millette from Prince William County Circuit Court to the Virginia Court of Appeals last year and to the Supreme Court last month, was part of the festivities.
So were many legislators, who will [...]

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McGuireWoods LLP has long insisted that it is bipartisan, but such highly visible and overtly Republican partners over the years as former Virginia governors John Dalton and George Allen have made that a tough sell.
In what appears to be an effort to counter that Republican image, the firm, in the words of its press release, [...]

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If you want a favorable review from a statewide bar group for an appointment to the State Corporation Commission, you’d better pull that résumé together and go to Gov. Tim Kaine’s Web site fast.
Kaine has asked candidates to fill out a judicial selection questionnaire and a statement of economic interest (both available on at www.governor.virginia.gov) [...]

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According to the Associated Press, the legislature will reconvene on June 23 to discuss a transportation funding package. As noted by the AP, partisan and regional disagreements are enormous impediments to a compromise.

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As reported on SCOTUSblog: In a widely splintered decision, the Supreme Court on Wednesday cleared the way for death-row executions to resume across the country, concluding that the most common method of lethal injection does not violate the Constitution.
The Washington Post notes that Governor Kaine acted quickly to reinstate the death penalty in Virginia.

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Gov. Tim Kaine says he won’t appoint a new judge to the State Corporation Commission, leaving the choice to the 2008 General Assembly, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Judge Theodore V. Morrison is retiring at the end of this month, giving Kaine an opportunity to fill the seat, since the Assembly won’t convene until Jan. 9. [...]

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Chesapeake Circuit Judge S. Bernard Goodwyn was picking up his 12-year-old daughter from dance class last week when Gov. Tim Kaine called his house. His wife quickly relayed a message, and the governor told Goodwyn that he was going to be appointed to the Supreme Court.
He is the first justice from Hampton Roads in [...]

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Gov. Tim Kaine will appoint Chesapeake Circuit Judge S. Bernard Goodwyn to the Supreme Court of Virginia, according to the Associated Press.
The governor will hold a news conference this morning to introduce his choice.
Goodwyn, 46, will succeed Justice Elizabeth B. Lacy, who retired in August. Goodwyn will be the second African-American justice on [...]

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The controversy over Virginia’s new “civil remedial fees” for “abusive drivers” has generated a lot of ink in the last two months.
The Washington Post has made the brouhaha a little personal for the commonwealth’s lawmakers.
Quite a few public officials, from Gov. Tim Kaine to Speaker Bill Howell to other members of the General [...]

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Just hours before Christopher S. Emmett was scheduled to die for beating a co-worker to death while stealing money for drugs, Gov. Tim Kaine granted him a reprieve, reports The Associated Press.
The governor said he wants to give the U.S. Supreme Court until Oct. 17 to consider granting Emmett’s appeal.
Emmett is claiming his [...]

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