Virginia

Judge rules that transgender teen Gavin Grimm is protected by Title IX and the Constitution

A federal judge in Virginia cited the Constitution and education law in refusing to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a transgender former high school student who wanted to use a restroom that matched his gender identity. U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen ruled Tuesday in a suit filed by Gavin…

May 23, 2018 9:10 AM CDT

Lawyer who received $20K on ‘Ellen’ show is charged with smuggling contraband to inmate

A lawyer who achieved some fame as a law student during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show has been accused of providing contraband to an inmate. In an indictment unsealed Monday, Richmond lawyer Dana Lauren Tapper was charged with providing a prisoner with a cellphone and drugs, distribution of…

May 3, 2018 8:00 AM CDT

Woman who flipped the bird at Trump motorcade sues over forced resignation

A Virginia woman has filed a lawsuit claiming the government contractor she worked for violated public policy by forcing her resignation for flipping off President Donald Trump’s motorcade last year. Juli Briskman claims her forced resignation by Virginia-based Akima was motivated by fear of government retaliation for her gesture. Any…

Apr 5, 2018 10:47 AM CDT

Lawyer representing neo-Nazis declares that ‘white people are the chosen people’

A Cincinnati-area lawyer stepped forward when white supremacists and neo-Nazis had trouble finding legal representation in a civil case stemming from the violent protests in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Mar 1, 2018 7:00 AM CST

Advocates are fighting to outlaw adult marriages to minors

Virginia, Texas and New York forbid under-18 marriages, except for emancipated minors. Six more states will consider legislation soon. More than half of all states do not specify a minimum age for marriage.

Jan 1, 2018 3:25 AM CST

Prominent lawyers sue white supremacist groups over Charlottesville violence

A group of prominent lawyers have filed a lawsuit against neo-Nazis, white supremacists and hate groups over the August violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Oct 13, 2017 7:45 AM CDT

What can we learn from the history of interracial relationships in America? (podcast)

Richard and Mildred Loving did not set out to be civil rights pioneers. But in 1958, police burst into their home and arrested them for violating the Racial Integrity Act of 1924. Richard was white, and Mildred was not. They were legally married in Washington, D.C., but that did not protect them in Virginia. After years of living in virtual exile from their home state to avoid prison time, the Lovings looked to the courts for relief. And 50 years ago this summer, the U.S. Supreme Court granted that relief in Loving v. Virginia, striking down Virginia's law against interracial marriage and declaring that the freedom to marry is "one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men."

Oct 4, 2017 9:15 AM CDT

Former law student says he recanted racial profiling claim because of FBI pressure

A former University of Virginia law student says he recanted a claim that he had been racially profiled by university police officers in 2011 because he was pressured during an interrogation by the FBI. Johnathan Perkins is a black lawyer working in the general counsel’s office at Harvard University. He…

Oct 2, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

10 Questions: James Dunstan

James E. Dunstan, the principal of Springfield, Virginia-based Mobius Legal Group, has spent more than 30 years specializing in space law.

Oct 1, 2017 3:40 AM CDT

Man fires gun and kills himself at law firm that represented his ex-wife

A gunman on Wednesday approached the office of a Virginia law firm that represented his ex-wife, firing his gun several times and then killing himself. The gunman was identified as 52-year-old John Francis Wood of Vienna, Virginia, report WJLA and the Washington Post. The law firm, Maddox & Gerock, has…

Sep 28, 2017 2:24 PM CDT

2nd Circuit reinstates fraternity members’ defamation suit against Rolling Stone

A federal appeals court has ruled that two of three University of Virginia fraternity members who sued Rolling Stone magazine over a retracted article about a gang rape can pursue their individual defamation claims even though they weren’t named in the piece. The New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of…

Sep 20, 2017 1:51 PM CDT

National Pulse: Stifling Speech

Government officials removed a high school student’s painting from the U.S. Capitol building earlier this year, contending that its message was anti-police and inappropriate. The student and his congressional representative objected, arguing that the government engaged in impermissible viewpoint discrimination by censoring the artwork. The government countered that removing the…

Sep 1, 2017 1:55 AM CDT

Sisters whose vehicle was hit at Charlottesville rally file $3 million lawsuit

Two sisters who claim they were injured in their vehicle when a car plowed into a group of counterprotesters during Saturday’s violence at a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia have filed a $3 million lawsuit. Defendants named in 27-year-old Tadrint Washington’s and 20-year-old Micah Washington’s state court suit include driver James…

Aug 17, 2017 5:00 PM CDT

Trump’s lawyer forwards email that ‘validates’ president’s stance on Charlottesville

An email forwarded by President Donald Trump's personal lawyer stated that there’s no difference between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and George Washington, and that the protest group Black Lives Matter has been infiltrated by terrorist organizations.

Aug 17, 2017 1:02 PM CDT

Attorney appointed to represent driver at Charlottesville rally is plaintiff in suit against city

A lawyer appointed to represent a man facing a second-degree murder charge in the death of a counterprotester during a rally of white nationalists and similar groups on Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia, is also a plaintiff in a lawsuit that seeks to keep Confederate statues in place in two city…

Aug 16, 2017 10:51 AM CDT