News

VLW Article 3-9-19 Lawyers struggle at balky clerk's office.docx

https://www.virginiamercury.com/2019/09/30/most-public-defenders-in-richmond-make-less-than-a-secretary-in-the-prosecutors-office-they-want-a-raise/

From The Virginian-Pilot:

https://www.pilotonline.com/government/local/vp-nw-body-camera-footage-attorneys-workload-20190908-jqpd7sr4qffz3jgtjhjoqn3vyy-story.html?fbclid=IwAR236vHxWMNHcfEe4NjJ4DkFyRqK07nko-QcYRhe6bMYp2HrYAAPiA43CWw

Judge orders new trial in murder case over issues with witness.pdf

[VACDL Member in the News: David Hargett]

Judge Kicks Verdict Over Disputed Scientific Evidence-VLW 2-28-19.pdf

[VACDL Members in the News: Steve Benjamin, Cary Bowen, Betty Layne DesPortes]

RICHMOND (AP) -- A federal judge has granted an injunction to stop Virginia's Department of Motor Vehicles from enforcing a law requiring automatic license suspensions for failure to pay court fines.

U.S. District Judge Norman Moon ordered DMV Commissioner Rick Holcomb to remove suspensions on three plaintiffs' licenses and $145 penalties to reinstate their driving privileges.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports the ruling came Friday, three days after Gov. Ralph Northam criticized the agency's enforcement policy.

Angel Ciolfi is director of the Legal Aid Justice Center, which joined a law firm in contesting the matter. She described the ruling as a "victory for the Constitution and for common sense."

Attorney General Mark Herring's spokesman says the office will "take the time needed to consider the judge's opinion" before deciding how to proceed.

Richmond Times Dispatch Discovery article 8-12-18.pdf

Authorities, defense lawyers and others divided on proposals to increase information shared prior to criminal trials

 (click link above for full article text)

High Court Mulls Reform in Criminal Discovery

VLW High Court Mulls Reforms in Criminal Discovery article 7-3-18.pdf

Thank you to the VACDL members who submitted comments, many of whom who are quoted in the article! And, of course, special thanks to Doug Ramseur for his continued efforts to push for discovery reform in our Commonwealth.

What We Have Here is a Failure to Imaginate

Prominent DC attorney Justin Dillon (and VACDL Spring Seminar 2018 speaker!) wrote an article for Above the Law, after reading The Daily Press story on David Lee's discovery of "memorandums of understanding" between police, state prosecutors and expert witnesses in child abuse cases. 

VACDL is continuing to investigate this matter, so stay tuned...

Justin Dillon is a partner at KaiserDillon PLLC in Washington, DC, where he focuses on white-collar criminal defense and campus disciplinary matters. Before joining the firm, he worked as an Assistant United States Attorney in Washington, DC, and at the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department. His email is jdillon@kaiserdillon.com.

http://www.dailypress.com/news/crime/dp-nws-chkd-police-prosecutors-20180514-story.html

Thank you to David Lee, one of VACDL's Past Presidents, for bringing this issue to our attention. VACDL has indeed filed FOIA requests and the documents received will be posted within the Member's Only section.