Va. Supreme Court rejects Northam’s request to extend eviction moratorium

By: Ned Oliver - September 4, 2020 3:45 pm

Virginia’s state flag flies in Richmond. (Ned Oliver/ Virginia Mercury)

The Supreme Court of Virginia said Friday it won’t extend its order barring residential evictions, which expires Monday.

But in response to a request sent by Gov. Ralph Northam on Thursday, the court wrote that all local judges have been alerted to a federal moratorium issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which bars many evictions through the end of the year.

“Governor Northam is pleased to see the Virginia Supreme Court’s recognition that the federal eviction moratorium is in place through Dec. 31, even if it’s different from the state-level protections he requested,” Northam’s spokeswoman, Alena Yarmosky, said in a statement.

“I would note that this recent order from the CDC, while welcome, required further review given recent inconsistencies with federal orders. The governor continues to work closely with the General Assembly on legislation that will keep Virginians safety in their homes throughout this health crisis.”

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Ned Oliver

Ned, a Lexington native, has been a fulltime journalist since 2008, beginning at The News-Gazette in Lexington, and including stints at the Berkshire Eagle, in Berkshire County, Mass., and the Times-Dispatch and Style Weekly in Richmond. He is a graduate of Bard College at Simon’s Rock, in Great Barrington, Mass. He was named Virginia's outstanding journalist for 2020 by the Virginia Press Association.