The VLW Blog

Former Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico died Sunday at age 96. Justice Carrico was the longest serving justice and chief justice in the court’s history. He served 42 years on the court, 22 as chief justice. Retiring in 2003, he continued to serve as a senior justice. Justice Carrico’s death was confirmed [...]

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The Virginia Senate has again approved raising the mandatory retirement age for judges from 70 to 73. The vote on Senate Bill 740 in the full Senate was 30-to-10 Friday morning. The Senate approved a similar measure last year, but – despite a recommendation by the Judicial Council of Virginia – that bill died in [...]

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Largely suppressing any public disagreement, the Virginia General Assembly last Tuesday reversed last year’s rejection of an openly gay judge candidate with the election of Tracy Thorne-Begland to a full term on the Richmond General District Court bench. Thorne-Begland was among a slate of 44 incumbent trial court judges elected by the Assembly. As a [...]

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The Senate Court of Justice Committee has approved raising the mandatory retirement age for Virginia judges from 70 to 73. The panel, by a ten-to-five vote, approved the measure offered by Sen. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax, and incorporated a similar bill offered by Sen. John Edwards, D-Roanoke. Petersen said the bill would save money by delaying [...]

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A bill to restrict circuit court judges’ right to fill a seat on the district court bench has been tabled by a House Courts of Justice subcommittee. House Bill 1338 would change Va. Code § 16.1-69.9:2 to add that no person could be appointed on an interim basis to fill a vacant district court seat, [...]

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U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Stephen C. St. John has been selected as chief judge for the Eastern District. The designation, effective Jan. 1, was made by the district judges of the district. St. John is the first chief from the Norfolk Division of the court. The Eastern District includes courts in Alexandria, Newport News, Norfolk and [...]

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A judge’s appearance in the back of a courtroom to support a close personal friend did not violate Virginia’s judicial canons, the Supreme Court of Virginia said today. In a unanimous opinion, the court dismissed a disciplinary complaint against 6th Judicial District Judge Jacqueline R. Waymack, who sits in juvenile and domestic relations courts in [...]

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Chronic tardiness is not the way to win points with a judge. After a recent showdown in a federal court in South Carolina, the court and the offending litigant each came away with an appellate win. The plaintiff, who repeatedly showed up late to court and then cursed a judge after she left the courtroom, [...]

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HOT SPRINGS – Trial judges need to do their share to prevent rude and unprofessional conduct among lawyers, according to a justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia. Justice Donald W. Lemons said trial judges actually contribute to incivility when they offer only mild admonishment in the face of bad lawyer behavior. Speaking at a [...]

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Roanoke Circuit Judge Jonathan M. Apgar has announced he will retire in the spring. In a letter to Virginia Chief Justice Cynthia D. Kinser, Apgar said he will retire effective April 1, at the end of his current term. Formerly in private practice in Roanoke, Apgar was elected by the General Assembly to the circuit [...]

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