(AP) Both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly have passed legislation that would legalize marijuana for adult recreational use, with retail sales starting several years down the road. Work on the complicated legislation has been a priority for Democrats who ...

Tagged with: General Assembly Gov. Ralph Northam marijuana Sen. Adam Ebbin

(AP) Virginia moved another step closer to ending capital punishment when the state House joined the Senate Feb. 5 in voting to abolish the death penalty. Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam supports the legislation, which would make Virginia the 23rd state ...

Tagged with: death penalty Del. Marcus Simon Gov. Ralph Northam

Virginia Democrats are split on whether the Court of Appeals needs four or six new judges to handle the burden of providing an appeal of right for every circuit court judgment. Otherwise, however, the blueprint for an expanded intermediate appellate ...

Tagged with: Del. Charniele Herring Gov. Ralph Northam House Courts of Justice Committee House Majority Leader Senate Judiciary Committee Virginia Court of Appeals

A long-dormant proposal to expand the Court of Appeals of Virginia suddenly became a flashpoint issue this month as General Assembly Democrats prepared to fill an expected four new judicial seats while Republicans derided the initiative as a liberal “pack-the-court” ...

Tagged with: General Assembly Gov. Ralph Northam Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr. Virginia Court of Appeals Virginia State Bar

A divided Supreme Court of Virginia has acceded to a request from the governor to institute a second suspension of Virginia eviction proceedings. The new, four-week freeze was welcomed by legal aid housing advocates, but the court’s Aug. 7 published ...

Tagged with: Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons Coronavirus eviction Gov. Ralph Northam Housing Justice D. Arthur Kelsey Justice William C. Mims Supreme Court of Virginia

A Richmond circuit judge says a group of Richmond landowners is likely to succeed on a claim that property law bars removal of the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Judge W. Reilly Marchant concluded that property owners in ...

Tagged with: Gov. Ralph Northam Judge W. Reilly Marchant Richmond Circuit Court

Virginia made history by becoming the first state to adopt coronavirus-related workplace safety mandates on July 15. The rules were adopted in a 9-2 vote by the Virginia Occupational Safety and Health Administration (VOSH) – the state’s version of the ...

Tagged with: Coronavirus Employment Gov. Ralph Northam

Virginia began reopening nonessential businesses in most parts of the state May 15, with Richmond, Northern Virginia and Accomack County excluded for at least two weeks. Though employers are preparing to rehire fired or furloughed workers, the nearly 400,000 Virginians ...

Tagged with: Coronavirus Employment Gov. Ralph Northam

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a governor’s order may limit, but not eliminate, virus liability exposure for some health care providers. Responding to a bid for broader and more specific liability protection for medical professionals in the pandemic emergency, Gov. Ralph ...

Tagged with: Coronavirus Gov. Ralph Northam Medical Malpractice

Hopes for extra state money to boost district courts’ staff, public defender ranks and legal aid offices have evaporated as the COVID-19 virus forced state budget rollbacks. Spending cuts recommended by Gov. Ralph Northam even signaled delay of a long-sought ...

Tagged with: Coronavirus Criminal Gov. Ralph Northam