Virginia Lawyers Weekly VA Lawyers Weekly

Arlington County is the latest battleground over the power of judges to veto a prosecutor’s decision to drop most marijuana possession charges. An Arlington County circuit judge has rejected the notion that a prosecutor has discretion to dismiss all simple ...

Tagged with: Criminal Judge Daniel Fiore II marijuana

The South Hampton Roads Bar Association has inducted Michael D. Pierce of Norfolk as president. He succeeds Jamilah D. LeCruise of Norfolk as head of the predominately Black bar association headquartered in Norfolk. Pierce, who joined the SHRBA in 2015, ...

State lawyers say a Richmond resident seeking to block removal of the state-owned statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee lacks legal standing in his lawsuit. Lawyers from the attorney general’s office prevailed in their argument once, and raised the standing ...

Despite courts’ typical deference to state regulators, a Roanoke circuit judge has concluded the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry waited too long to maintain an enforcement action over a workplace fatality. The judge’s opinion adds to a growing body ...

Tagged with: Judge David B. Carson Virginia Circuit Courts Workplace safety

Basic criminal discovery procedures adopted by circuit judges in Fairfax County could inspire similar model discovery orders for courts around the state as criminal justice lawyers adjust to a new set of rules. The Fairfax judges distributed a model discovery ...

Tagged with: Criminal Law Discovery

A doctor fired from a Danville practice group can go to a jury with his claim that he was terminated in violation of his employment contract on a trumped-up HIPAA claim. The doctor contends his complaints about office practices were ...

Tagged with: Employment Judge Michael F. Urbanski U.S. District Court - Western District

In the face of concerns about hundreds of candidates taking the Virginia Bar Exam in person over two days this month during the unabated COVID-19 pandemic, the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners has announced a September option. The bar exam ...

Tagged with: Bar Exam Coronavirus

A Salem judge has tested positive for COVID-19. Juvenile and Domestic Relations Judge Hilary Griffith told The Roanoke Times she was tested July 14 after experiencing symptoms the day before. The Salem courthouse was closed for a day for cleaning ...

A group of self-described “progressive” prosecutors in Virginia is offering assistance to Democrats and the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus in crafting laws to bring “meaningful systemic change” to criminal justice. “We would like to offer our support and advocate our ...

Virginia court officials are taking initial, deliberate steps towards resuming jury trials and returning to some semblance of normal operation, even while the judicial emergency now extends to Aug. 9 and some courts have had to close their doors for ...

Tagged with: Coronavirus