The VLW Blog

Gov. Bob McDonnell suggests a smaller slice of local fines and fees going to the state budget than a General Assembly proposal, but he also wants a comprehensive study of the traffic enforcement issue that has pitted local officials against state bureaucrats and legislators. At the heart of the dispute is local traffic court money, [...]

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The budget compromise hammered out last week by House and Senate conferees includes money for filling 23 trial court judgeships, according to a knowledgeable source. The plan would unfreeze 10 circuit court positions, six general district court slots, and seven juvenile and domestic relations court seats, at a reported cost of $5.8 million for judgeships [...]

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House budget planners appear willing to turn up the heat a bit more than their Senate counterparts when it comes to unfreezing Virginia trial court judgeships. A House Appropriations subcommittee recommends filling 33 judgeships that would otherwise be left unfilled. The House plan would fill approximately two-thirds of the now-frozen judgeships, according to the panel’s [...]

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The governor’s budget is out, and it looks like good news for the courts and the bar. Gov. Bob McDonnell proposes to add $1 million in each of the two years of the budget to restore funding for up to five previously authorized judgeships that currently are vacant. The McDonnell budget also would add $2 [...]

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With financial pressures putting the squeeze on state budgets across the country, it’s no surprise Virginia is not the only state where money battles put judges and lawmakers at odds. The Charlotte Observer reports the North Carolina legislature is seeking budget relief with cuts in judicial programs, bringing howls of protest from  judges. One budget [...]

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The House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Finance Committee are polar opposites on the issue of thawing the freeze on filling judicial vacancies. The Senate committee recommended spending $4.8 million, which would be enough to fill all the vacancies. Not a dime for that purpose under the House committee’s budget. The House panel would restore [...]

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Add the Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys to the list of organizations opposing Gov. McDonnell’s proposal to take $5 million from the State Bar Fund for the state budget. In a statement sent Thursday to members of the General Assembly money committees, the VADA said the money at stake comes entirely from dues, fees and [...]

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Del. David Albo, R-Fairfax County, says the Virginia State Bar overstepped its mission in lobbying the legislature for more judicial spending. Albo, chairman of the House Courts of Justice Committee, views the plan by Gov. Bob McDonnell to use the VSB’s $5-million cash reserves for general spending as a rebuff to the VSB’s advocacy for [...]

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