Criminal Justice + Policing
Northern Virginia counselors challenge Virginia’s ban on conversion therapy
Two counselors from Northern Virginia, backed by lawyers with the conservative group The Family Foundation, are seeking to overturn the commonwealth’s ban on conversion therapy, a practice that attempts to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. On Thursday, the Founding Freedoms Law Center, the legal division of the Family Foundation, announced it filed a […]
Virginia could lead the way on strengthening privacy laws regarding intimate images
A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers in Virginia and other states want to strengthen privacy laws regarding the non-consensual distribution of intimate images. Forty-nine states including Virginia already have some law on the books to protect peoples’ sexual or intimate images from being shared without their consent, but model policy from former democratic House of Delegates […]
Federal court weighs appeal in voter disenfranchisement case
Federal judges in the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond on Tuesday appeared sympathetic to the plaintiffs in a case challenging Virginia’s disenfranchisement of people with felony convictions. After a federal district judge allowed the challenge to move forward earlier this year, alleging that Virginia has been out of compliance with a Reconstruction-era federal […]
After recent school shootings, Virginia NAACP wants more social media education
In the aftermath of the recent school shooting in Winder, Georgia, that left four students and teachers dead, and the threats of violence made online in various Virginia school districts, the NAACP Virginia State Conference has pushed for increased action on social media education, mental health services and a renewed commitment to addressing racism and […]
Scathing report calls for a ban of prone restraint tactics
A newly released report by the disAbility Law Center of Virginia (dLCV) reveals that the death of Irvo Otieno, who was killed at Central State Hospital in Dinwiddie County during a mental health crisis while in police custody last year, could have been prevented had sheriff’s deputies and hospital staff not used prone restraint, a […]
Brown Grove residents’ case against Wegmans, Hanover County to get new review in appellate court
A years-long legal battle has entered a new chapter as residents of Brown Grove, a historically Black neighborhood in Hanover County, and a neighboring subdivision, have filed their response as part of the appeal in their case against the county’s board of supervisors and Wegmans. Though the national grocery chain was granted approval by the […]
Youngkin announces efforts to support formerly incarcerated people
Gov. Glenn Youngkin formally announced a cross-agency strategy to support formerly incarcerated people after their release. Executive Order 36 directs several state departments to coordinate with each other on data sharing and programming and to bolster partnerships with organizations for programming. “There’s no magic wand,” Youngkin said of a single method to improve post-incarceration experiences. […]
Virginia man charged with threatening Kamala Harris
A Virginia man is being prosecuted in federal court after he allegedly made a series of online posts threatening to kill or harm Vice President Kamala Harris, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia announced Monday. Frank Carillo, a 66-year-old from Winchester, was arrested last week at his home after authorities said […]
Virginia appeals court rules judge wrongly dismissed asset forfeiture challenge
A Virginia court erroneously ruled authorities could keep $35,293 seized from a Chesterfield County auto repair shop by setting the bar too high for the owner to prove the cash wasn’t connected to a crime, according to a state Court of Appeals opinion released this week. The case dealing with asset forfeiture laws centers on […]
U.S. appeals court agrees to block central part of new Title IX gender rules for schools
A federal appellate court has upheld blocking central parts of new Title IX rules from the Biden administration and granted an expedited hearing in October. A three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed Wednesday to block the rules from taking effect Aug. 1, shortly before most schools begin their academic year. The rules, […]
Groups and families celebrate implementation of law allowing early release for certain inmates
Santia Nance and Quadaire Patterson’s love story is entering a new chapter. A law took effect last week that allowed certain incarcerated people to be released from prison for acquiring earned sentence credits. Patterson is now also earning good fiance points by “doing every dish” in the house since he moved out of prison and […]
Groups celebrate full year of Pell Grant eligibility for prisoners to earn college degrees
Darryl Byers-Robinson choked up as he stood before a crowd of about 30 at Virginia’s Department of Corrections headquarters in Richmond on Monday with various advocacy groups and members of Virginia’s DOC. The groups had gathered to celebrate the first year since the full reestablishment of eligibility for incarcerated people to receive Pell Grants. The […]