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Request to unseal JIRC records denied
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied a newspaper’s request to unseal portions of a judge’s mandamus petition that included documents from her then pending matter before the Judicial Inquiry and Review Committee, or JIRC. “The confidentiality accorded to judicial disciplinary hearings stands in contrast to ordinary civil and criminal trials, which benefit from a long […]
Unfinished business: Assembly departs without filling Supreme Court seats
The Virginia General Assembly ended its regular 2022 session on March 12 without electing judges to fill two openings on the Supreme Court of Virginia. Legislators did elect 30 trial court judges late in the session. They also clashed over a senator’s opposition to a retired substitute judge. The Supreme Court impasse was part of […]
Judge Sharp to retire from 26th Circuit bench
Judge William W. Sharp will step down from the bench after 28 years of service. Sharp, presiding judge of the Warren County Circuit Court, is set to retire June 30, according to a release from the court. Sharp first began serving on the 26th District Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court on July 1, 1994. […]
Privacy or secrecy? Legislators want more info on judges they select
Some of the legislators who elect and re-elect the judges of Virginia’s trial and appellate courts say they wish they had more access to information locked away in government file cabinets. One state senator wishes legislators could see more reports on judges’ performance surveys filled out by lawyers and others. Another state senator says the […]
Three judges passed over in Assembly action
Three judges up for re-election to new terms on the bench were left off the list of judges winning early-session General Assembly approval Jan. 24. Any of them could be approved for new terms later in the session. Legislators removed Chesterfield County Circuit Judge Lynn Brice, Loudoun County Circuit Judge Jeanette Irby and Fairfax County […]
Assembly to consider 9 more for high court
With the shift in the political makeup of the General Assembly, nine new candidates have emerged for what are now two openings on the Supreme Court of Virginia. Four of the applicants are judges on the Court of Appeals. When voters gave Republicans a majority in the House of Delegates in November, a House leader […]
Lemons to step down from role as chief justice at end of year
Supreme Court of Virginia Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons will step down from his role as chief justice at the end of the year, according to a press release from the court. Justice S. Bernard Goodwyn has been elected by the justices to become the next chief justice. Goodwyn, who has sat on the court […]
VSB rates candidates for Supreme Court vacancy
A Virginia State Bar committee has reported recommendations to the General Assembly for 15 candidates for a pending vacancy on the Supreme Court of Virginia. The VSB’s Judicial Candidate Evaluation Committee, or JCEC, rated the candidates as “qualified” or “highly qualified” to serve on the high court. The vacancy on the Supreme Court was created […]
Senators recommend candidates for federal judgeship
Virginia’s two U.S. senators have recommended two candidates for a vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. In a Nov. 4 letter to President Joe Biden, Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine recommended U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Hanes and Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa O’Boyle for the vacancy. “Both would serve […]
New judges confirmed to federal bench
Three Virginia federal judgeships have been filled recently as the U.S. Senate confirmed more of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees. Patricia Tolliver Giles and Michael S. Nachmanoff were confirmed to seats on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, while Toby Heytens was confirmed to a seat on the 4th U.S. Circuit […]
VSB to evaluate 18 for Supreme Court vacancy
The Virginia State Bar is set to evaluate 18 candidates for an upcoming vacancy on the Supreme Court of Virginia. The individual selected will replace Judge William C. Mims, who announced his retirement from the bench on July 28. Mims, who has served on the court since 2010, will retire when his term ends on […]
Eight on deck: General Assembly taps new judges for appeals court
The Virginia General Assembly elected eight new judges to the Court of Appeals on Aug. 10, completing a historic expansion of the court and ushering in new diversity in race, gender and background. The eight new judges, along with their former positions and locations, are: Dominique A. Callins, attorney, Front Royal Doris Henderson Causey, […]
Verdicts & Settlements
- Jury reaches defense verdict in $4M med mal action
- Dental hygienist tripped, fractured right wrist, foot — $190,000 settlement
- Couple contracted Hepatitis A after dining at restaurant — $5.5M settlement
- Elderly man suffers hip fracture after attack by neighbor’s dog — $350,000 settlement
- Motorcyclist injured when vehicle abruptly changed lanes — $300,000 verdict
- Passenger ejected from car in high-speed chase crash — $685,000 settlement
- Defense verdict reached in fraud suit
- 8-year-old killed in crash involving tractor-trailer — $1,100,000 settlement
- Plaintiff conceived child after vasectomy — $250,000 settlement
- Delay in diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy led to surgery — $283,432.18 settlement
- Golfer stepped in sinkhole, fractured ankle — $442,000 verdict
- Jury sides with woman injured in rear-end collision — $300,000 verdict
viewpoint
- The promise and peril of artificial intelligence in patent law
- Keys to becoming an unfrazzled lawyer
- Confused about federal COVID-19 emergencies ending? You’re not alone
- Generative AI in law: New survey of lawyer perspectives and plans
- Four misconceptions about appeals
- Font choice exposes fabricated document
- USPTO launches first-time filer expedited exam pilot program
- In times of crisis, the ‘tug of war’ is over
- The ever-evolving Fourth Circuit
- Federal protections for pregnant, nursing employees coming
- It’s time for employers to embrace the ‘Big Quit’ and adapt
- Tell the whole truth? I’ll do better than that
Polls
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