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City of Martinsville votes to end reversion process
Read full article: City of Martinsville votes to end reversion processOn Tuesday night, Martinsville City Council members adopted a resolution to terminate proceedings regarding the reversion of Martinsville to town status, according to city officials.
Virginia Supreme Court rejects GOP redistricting nominees
Read full article: Virginia Supreme Court rejects GOP redistricting nomineesThe Supreme Court of Virginia, now tasked with drawing new legislative districts in the state to conform with the 2020 census, on Friday rejected all three Republicans nominated to help it in its task.
Police allow people to re-enter Virginia Supreme Court building after bomb threat
Read full article: Police allow people to re-enter Virginia Supreme Court building after bomb threatVirginia Supreme Court building in Richmond, Virginia. People are back inside the Virginia Supreme Court building after a bomb threat on Friday. K-9 units completed a sweep of the Virginia Supreme Court building about 2:30, and employees were allowed to re-enter. — Va Capitol Police (@VaCapitolPolice) January 15, 2021ORIGINAL STORYAuthorities cleared the Virginia Supreme Court building on Friday afternoon due to a bomb threat. They cleared the building on North Ninth Street shortly before 1:30 p.m.A report of a possible bomb prompted @VaCapitolPolice to clear the Virginia Supreme Court building on North Ninth Street shortly before 1:30 p.m. Friday.
Natalie Keepers has appeal denied by Virginia Supreme Court
Read full article: Natalie Keepers has appeal denied by Virginia Supreme CourtMONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. – The woman convicted in connection with the death of a Blacksburg girl in 2016 won’t see her appeal move forward in the Virginia Supreme Court. The court denied Natalie Keepers’ petition for appeal on Wednesday. In September 2018, a jury found Keepers guilty of being an accessory before the fact in the first-degree murder of Nicole Lovell. In April, Keepers and her legal team attempted an appeal on the grounds that her original trial was unfair. However, the Virginia Court of Appeals didn’t agree with Keepers and her legal team and it affirmed the conviction by the trial court.
Kanye West files appeal to overturn his removal from Virginia ballot
Read full article: Kanye West files appeal to overturn his removal from Virginia ballotRICHMOND, Va. Kanye West is challenging the Virginia Supreme Court after his name was removed from the presidential ballot in the Commonwealth last week. According to the office of the attorney general, West has filed an appeal with the court to overturn Judge Taylors ruling in hopes to get his name back on the ballot before Novembers election. Officials say that West has also hired two new lawyers, who represented the Republican Party of Virginia when they went against suspending the witness requirement for June primaries. The rapper turned presidential hopeful has also filed a motion for expedited consideration as a way to move through the process quickly, according to the attorney generals office.
Evictions halted again across Virginia through Sept. 7
Read full article: Evictions halted again across Virginia through Sept. 7RICHMOND, Va. The Virginia Supreme Court has granted a request from Gov. Ralph Northam to suspend judicial proceedings related to evictions for tenants who can't pay rent. The court ruled 4-3 on Friday to grant a moratorium on evictions through Sept. 7 as the state grapples with the coronavirus pandemic. The high court instituted a moratorium in March, but allowed it to expire earlier this summer. There remains the distinct threat that the most vulnerable Virginians will be evicted from their homes at a time when our public health crisis is expanding, Northam said.
Evictions halted across Virginia in response to coronavirus pandemic
Read full article: Evictions halted across Virginia in response to coronavirus pandemicRICHMOND, Va. – Eviction proceedings are now temporarily banned across Virginia. Ralph Northam made the announcement Monday, as he requested the decision in a letter sent to Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald Lemons this weekend. Lemons’ order, which suspends all eviction proceedings, remains in effect through June 28 and modifieds the Court’s earlier Declaration of Judicial Emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic. “I am grateful to the Chief Justice for granting this order, and for the activists who have been working tirelessly on this important issue,” said Northam. Those facing housing insecurity are encouraged to visit StayHomeVirginia.com for more information and resources on tenant rights.
Virginia’s highest court upholds weapons ban at gun rally
Read full article: Virginia’s highest court upholds weapons ban at gun rallyRICHMOND, Va. – Virginia's highest court on Friday upheld a ban on firearms at an upcoming pro-gun rally in the state's capital, an event that authorities feared could erupt in violence at the hands of armed extremists. Gun-rights groups argued the ban would violate their Second Amendment right to bear arms and their First Amendment freedom of speech. Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League — the group sponsoring the rally — called the first ruling “mind-boggling." Herring argued Northam's order would help prevent the kind of violence that erupted at a 2017 white nationalist rally in the city of Charlottesville. Because of the threat of possible violence, organizers of an annual vigil for victims of gun violence — usually held on the King holiday each year — said Friday that they have canceled their event this year.