CRIMINAL JUSTICE + POLICING
Court rules Virginians can’t be charged with fleeing police if officers are too far away
The Virginia Court of Appeals overruled a man’s misdemeanor conviction for fleeing from police after ruling the Lynchburg police officer who attempted to make the arrest didn’t get close enough to the suspect to have a realistic chance of grabbing him.
Virginia Court of Appeals says probable cause alone isn’t enough for warrantless search
After a Culpeper deputy searched a woman who concealed drugs in her pants during a traffic stop, the Virginia Court of Appeals ruled law enforcement must have more than probable cause to suspect someone is carrying contraband in order to search that person without a warrant. “Under the Fourth Amendment, probable cause of contraband is […]
Virginia GOP leaders praise affirmative action ruling, schools vow to keep pursuing diversity
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin Thursday praised the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision striking down affirmative action at higher education institutions. “Today, after the Supreme Court’s ruling, we are closer than ever before to ensuring that an individual’s future opportunities are unlocked based on the trajectory of their potential, their aspirations and the quality of their […]
Formerly incarcerated Virginians ten times more likely to face homelessness
Over the four and a half years that Shiri Yadlin worked as a housing coordinator for a D.C.-based church, she heard from her formerly incarcerated clients again and again about an abundance of barriers to securing permanent housing. After she began her current job as a senior program manager for the Corporation for Supportive Housing, […]
Can a suit tied to an 1870 law finally end Va.’s feudal felon rights restoration regimen?
The American Civil Liberties Union sued in federal court this week to void a provision in Virginia law that strips those convicted of felonies of their voting rights for life unless the governor intercedes to restore them. It’s the most recent attempt to end Virginia’s archaic, inequitable and monarchical system by which those who were […]
Supreme Court rejects independent state legislature theory in North Carolina case
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected North Carolina Republican legislators’ argument that the state courts cannot review laws legislatures pass governing federal elections. Republican legislators claimed the Elections Clause in the U.S. Constitution makes legislatures the sole state authorities on federal elections law, including congressional redistricting. Critics said the high court’s endorsement of the independent state […]
Freeway shootings continue to menace Hampton Roads, commonwealth
Something bizarre must happen to some folks when they get behind the wheel, cruise onto the interstate and encounter other motorists. At least that’s how one man, arrested after a shooting in March on Interstate 64, explained it to the Virginia State Police. It’s the first time the suspect has faced violent criminal charges, according […]
Juneteenth: Celebrating and working for liberation for our youth
By Briana Jones and Monica Hutchinson In recent years, the conversation surrounding the acknowledgment and celebration of Juneteenth has gained traction across the nation. But while we are honoring the end of chattel slavery in America, another conversation has been simultaneously picking up steam in the background: burdensome fines and fees facing young people in […]
The fall of affirmative action in higher education and the coming workplace revolution
By Faith Alejandro & Cullen Seltzer In the coming days, the Supreme Court of the United States is poised to decide the fate of affirmative action in higher education. Employers in Virginia, however, should pay attention to the Harvard and University of North Carolina cases now pending, as the Students for Fair Admissions alleges that […]
How to give incarcerated people a fighting chance against opioids
By Libby Jones The overdose crisis has wreaked havoc on the health of Virginians, claiming over 1,000 lives each year across the Commonwealth – and 107,000 across the United States. A closer look into these staggering numbers reveals an even more alarming truth: some members of society, specifically those battling opioid use disorders behind […]
Bribery conviction upheld for Va. man who offered town $500 to back gaming machines
The Virginia Court of Appeals upheld a bribery conviction Tuesday for a Southside Virginia convenience store operator who offered the town of La Crosse a $500 monthly donation in exchange for officials’ support for gaming machines at his business. Businessman Mamdoh Abouemara was appealing his 2021 guilty conviction in Mecklenburg County, arguing prosecutors hadn’t sufficiently […]
How Virginia is spending new state funding to prevent gun violence
The office of Attorney General Jason Miyares plans to hire six prosecutors and group violence intervention coordinators with the $2.6 million in grant funding it received to try to reduce gun crime. Another $5 million will go toward the extension of a hospital-based violence intervention program meant to help people escape life circumstances that led […]