Virginia

Muslim Cleric Claims He Has Evidence of Illegal Wiretaps by NSA

Convicted Muslim clerk Ali al-Timimi claims in court papers that he has evidence showing he was illegally wiretapped under the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretap program. Timimi is serving a life sentence after being convicted of inciting terrorism in 2005. A court filing in U.S. District Court in Alexandria said Timimi’s…

Dec 17, 2008 1:23 PM CST

Ex-Richmond Law Prof Robert Shepherd Dies

Former University of Richmond law professor Robert Shepherd Jr., known for his work on family and children’s legal issues, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 71. Law school dean John Douglass said in a press release that Shepherd displayed a “deep human compassion for those most in…

Dec 12, 2008 3:36 PM CST

Ex-ABA Prez Robert Grey Loses Race for Richmond Mayor

Robert J. Grey Jr., an attorney with Hunton & Williams who formerly served as the president of the American Bar Association, was defeated yesterday in his bid to become the mayor of Richmond, Va. When it became apparent that he had lost the contest to one of two other candidates,…

Nov 5, 2008 7:39 PM CST

Civil Rights Leader Gets 15 Years for Incest, Expected to Die in Jail

The Rev. James Bevel, a civil rights leader who once served as a top aide to Martin Luther King Jr., was sentenced today to 15 years for incest. It was the harshest sentence that Virginia Circuit Judge Burke McCahill could have given the 71-year-old defendant, who is reportedly dying of…

Oct 15, 2008 10:34 PM CDT

Va. Law’s Class of 1990: Happy in their Careers, but Less So in BigLaw

Reports of unhappy lawyers tell of problems with depression, alcoholism, divorce and suicide. But the reports appear to be exaggerated, if the Virginia School of Law’s 1990 graduating class is any guide. A study finds the group is largely contented with their careers and their lives, albeit less so if…

Oct 15, 2008 5:30 PM CDT

Lawyers Ask Va. Bar to Investigate Monica Goodling

About a dozen lawyers are asking the Virginia State Bar to conduct an ethics investigation of former Justice Department lawyer Monica Goodling, accused in a report this summer of illegally considering politics in hiring decisions. Lawyer William R. Wilder drafted the complaint, the Richmond Times Dispatch reports. He told the…

Sep 16, 2008 2:05 PM CDT

Va. Supreme Court Holds Anti-Spam Law Violates First Amendment

The Virginia Supreme Court has reconsidered a 6-month-old ruling and struck down the state’s anti-spam law for violating the First Amendment. The law is unconstitutionally overbroad because it bars anonymous transmission of political, religious and other speech protected by the First Amendment, the court ruled in its decision (PDF) issued…

Sep 15, 2008 1:38 PM CDT

Former ABA President Runs for Mayor of Richmond, Va.

Former ABA President Robert J. Grey Jr. is taking a stand on public transportation by taking a seat on buses in Richmond, Va., to learn more about routes that are scheduled to be cut. Grey, a lawyer with Hunton & Williams, is in a five-way race for mayor of Richmond.…

Sep 8, 2008 6:23 PM CDT

Former ACLU Lawyer Disbarred After Child Porn Plea

The former president of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia has been disbarred after his guilty plea last year to child porn charges. In July 2007, Charles Rust-Tierney pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography, The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times reported. A statement of facts filed with the…

Sep 5, 2008 2:37 PM CDT

Judge Allows Privacy Advocate to Post Social Security Numbers

A federal judge has ruled the state of Virginia cannot force a woman to remove Social Security numbers of high-profile individuals from her website that she legally obtained from public records. The woman, Betty “BJ” Ostergren, is a privacy advocate who is posting public property records to show how easy…

Aug 28, 2008 1:54 PM CDT

Supremacist Escapes Sanction for Internet Posts About Troutman Sanders Lawyer

A federal judge has refused to sanction a white supremacist who posted the home address and telephone number of a lawyer for Troutman Sanders in Richmond, Va. U.S. Magistrate Judge Bradford Stillman of Norfolk said the posts by white supremacist William White didn’t suggest physical harm and were less threatening…

Jul 29, 2008 1:41 PM CDT

Group Files Ethics Complaints Over DOJ Political Hiring

A watchdog group has filed ethics complaints against two former Justice Department lawyers accused of making hiring decisions based on politics. Named in the complaints are Michael Elston, a McGuireWoods partner, and Esther Slater McDonald, an associate at Seyfarth Shaw, Legal Times reports. Elston was former chief of staff to…

Jul 9, 2008 10:37 AM CDT

After Murdering 2 Hikers in 1981, Man Fingered for Shooting 2 More in 2008

Sentenced to a 30-year prison term in a 1981 plea bargain for murdering two hikers on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia after sharing a meal with them in May of that year, Randall Smith served 15 years before he was paroled in 1996. And then, in May 2008, he shot…

Jul 9, 2008 9:49 AM CDT

Judge Approves $11M Va. Tech Settlement

An $11 million settlement that was reportedly agreed to several months ago by victims and survivors of last year’s shooting massacre at Virginia Tech has now been approved today by a Virginia judge. “Families of 24 victims—out of 32 killed by Seung-Hui Cho—will be compensated under the settlement approved by…

Jun 17, 2008 11:21 PM CDT

Va. Supreme Court Requires Enforcement of Vt. Ruling in Same-Sex Dissolution

The Virginia Supreme Court has ruled that state courts must enforce a child custody order issued by a Vermont court in the dissolution of a same-sex civil union. The ruling requires recognition of the Vermont ruling, despite a Virginia law that says same-sex unions from other states are void there,…

Jun 9, 2008 11:30 AM CDT