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GENERAL ASSEMBLY
In decorous Richmond, a bitter partisan battle over a judicial post
A bitter partisan battle between Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) and the GOP-controlled legislature over an appointment to the state Supreme Court ground discourse to a halt Monday in a capital city long known for its political decorum.
In surprise move, Senate Democrats adjourn special session
In a surprise move, Democrats in the Virginia Senate, with the help of retiring Sen. John Watkins, R-Powhatan, adjourned the legislature’s special session Monday afternoon. The move, if it holds up to a parliamentary challenge by Republicans, will enable Gov. Terry McAuliffe to reappoint Supreme Court Justice Jane Marum Roush to another interim term when her current term expires in mid-September.
Va. redistricting will go to U.S. court
The public never got its say on changes to Virginia congressional district boundaries and the state’s political redistricting process. But federal judges soon will.
Dems turn tables on GOP majority, end redistricting session, block Supreme Court election
Senate Democrats pulled a surprise procedural move Monday afternoon, voting to adjourn their special session and throwing an already rancorous, partisan fight into new territory. Republicans immediately decried the move as unconstitutional, though not unprecedented.
Virginia Senate rejects House GOP’s favored Supreme Court candidate
Nineteen Democrats and one Republican in the Virginia Senate voted Monday afternoon to reject the GOP-led House of Delegates' pick for the state Supreme Court, further straining the edgy relationship between Republican leaders and Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe.
Special session ends in political stalemate, recriminations
The judge at the center of a messy political scuffle will remain on the Virginia Supreme Court for now. Republican lawmakers were stymied Monday in their efforts to replace Justice Jane Marum Roush, a temporary appointee to the high court.
Roush still in contention for full term after stormy Assembly session
A defecting Republican senator denied the party its choice for a position on the Virginia Supreme Court Monday, and a parliamentary maneuver may keep the governor’s candidate in office until January. Both new Supreme Court Justice Jane Marum Roush and Court of Appeals Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr. failed to win legislative approval for a full, 12-year term on the high court.
McAuliffe plans to reappoint high court pick
A rancorous partisan battle over Gov. Terry McAuliffe's pick for the state Supreme Court quickly escalated Monday and could be headed to court. The fight also effectively killed any chances that lawmakers will be able to redraw the state's congressional map in time to meet a deadline imposed by a panel of federal judges.
Virginia lawmakers will not vote on redistricting today
State lawmakers are working in Richmond today on two politically messy issues: The need to draw new congressional district lines and the appointment of a justice to the Supreme Court of Virginia. The General Assembly is under a federal court order to redraw the lines of U.S. Rep. Bobby’s Scott’s 3rd Congressional District by Sept. 1. Following a lawsuit, the district has been deemed a racial gerrymander that packs in too many black voters, dilluting their votes.
General Assembly special session nets negligible results
Selection of the next Virginia Supreme Court justice remained unresolved Monday following an unfruitful, highly partisan special session of the Virginia General Assembly intended to resolve congressional district lines, which also didn't happen.
Va. Democrats revive Roush judgeship
Just when it looked as if the Virginia Senate had slapped a 30-day expiration date on Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s pick for the state Supreme Court, Senate Democrats kept her appointment alive with a parliamentary maneuver. Sen. A. Donald McEachin (D-Henrico) called for a surprise adjournment of Monday’s session, which effectively extends Supreme Court Justice Jane Marum Roush’s term — and puts a hold on redistricting efforts.
GOP nominee for Virginia Supreme Court sounds friendly to gay rights
The GOP’s choice for Virginia’s highest court made comments about gay rights and religious liberties Monday that sounded out of step with one of the party’s top priorities for the coming legislative session. During a morning interview with legislators, Court of Appeals Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr. was asked whether he believed someone engaged in commerce could turn away lesbian, gay or transgender customers if serving them would conflict with the businessperson’s sincerely held religious beliefs.
State lawmakers approve judgeship of Norfolk's Lyn Simmons
Lawmakers on Monday approved the appointment of Norfolk Judge Lyn Simmons to the city's Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court bench. Hampton Roads legislators asked Norfolk's Circuit Court judges earlier this year to appoint Simmons, a former assistant commonwealth's attorney and longtime Norfolk resident.
GOP's Watkins joins Democrats in vote on Supreme Court justice
Lawmakers today continued a bitter battle over a Virginia Supreme Court justice appointment. A joint judicial committee of House and Senate members met in special session this morning to interview Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr. for potential election to the Supreme Court.
GOP fails on vote for Virginia Supreme Court appointment
The General Assembly was supposed to discuss redrawing a congressional district during a special session Monday. Instead, lawmakers continued a partisan battle over Gov. Terry McAuliffe's appointment to a vacancy on the state Supreme Court.