A North Carolina man who was part of a freedom of the press case that gained international attention, and not in a good way, will soon assume the position of city attorney for Charlottesville.
The city announced that John Maddux, of Asheville, N.C., began work in the office on Wednesday.
Temporarily, his title is managing director until he is officially sworn in by the Virginia Supreme Court and appointed to the role by City Council. Maddux’s application for admission to the Virginia State Bar has already been approved.
While the Charlottesville news release focused on the positive aspects of his career, in his role as deputy city attorney in Asheville, he was also embroiled in a First Amendment case involving freedom of the press where Asheville and its police department sought and won convictions against two journalists covering a story that didn’t paint the city in a positive light.
Asheville: The battle against two journalists
Maddux was caught up in the national story related to freedom of the press where two North Carolina journalists were eventually convicted of second-degree trespass for videotaping a police raid of a homeless encampment on Christmas Day in 2021 at Aston Park.
The park was the location of a sanctuary camping demonstration protesting the city’s treatment of its homeless residents. Police arrested the two journalists and four others and indicted 16 people on charges of felony littering, including mutual aid workers, for property left at the park after the sweep. The littering cases were later dismissed, according to the Asheville Citizen Times.
The ordeal happened at approximately 10:30 p.m. City code for Asheville established a closing time of 10 p.m. for the park.
ICYMI: Freedom of the Press
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The journalists’ attorney, Ben Scales, subpoenaed dozens of city employees, including the city manager and solid waste manager, to testify at a trial following the arrests.
Maddux led the charge against Scales, asking a court to sanction the attorney for “abusing his authority to issue subpoenas to unduly raise the costs of prosecution and waste the Court’s time.
“The City has twice provided Mr. Scales with notice that subpoenas issued by him in this case were legally deficient and improper,” wrote Maddux, then the deputy city attorney for Asheville, in a court filing. “Mr. Scales response has been to file two motions clearly intended to act as backdoor motions to compel compliance with improperly issued subpoenas, and then to issue twenty-four subpoenas to City personnel regardless of whether those personnel possess any information relevant to the case.”
Scales argued unsuccessfully that those who were subpoenaed had relevant information – and that the two journalists were targeted because of their political ideology. Scales did not face any formal sanctions but was required to pare the subpoena list down to police officers and city personnel who were at the park the night of the sweep.
What defines a ‘real’ journalist?
The judge in the freedom of the press case said the conviction was for a “plain and simple trespass case” – and was not about press freedom, according to a report in the Charlotte Observer.
The judge said that the two journalists, Veronica Coit and Matilda Bliss, introduced no evidence proving they were real journalists.
Coit and Bliss were reporting for The Asheville Blade, a news outlet that was founded on the principle of reporting the news where the establishment media fails to tell the truth, described as a “leftist news co-op” in multiple reports.
Both Coit and Bliss continue to work as journalists for the news outlet despite the convictions, according to its website.
Freedom of the press advocates found the ruling “extremely disappointing.”
“It’s particularly disturbing that the judge reportedly questioned whether Veronica Coit and Matilda Bliss are journalists,” said Freedom of the Press Foundation director of advocacy Seth Stern after the ruling. “They literally report for a news outlet, the Asheville Blade. Whether it’s a mainstream outlet or one that public officials like is entirely irrelevant.
“They’re journalists under any definition of the word and entitled to the full protection of the First Amendment.
“Prosecuting victimless ‘crimes’ by journalists does not serve the interests of justice and does not benefit the taxpayers funding the prosecution.”
The reporters appealed to a jury and lost again.
‘An unsettling precedent for journalists in Asheville and the nation’
In February of this year, the state Court of Appeals dismissed an appeal over a procedural issue where their attorneys allegedly failed to include proper documentation to establish jurisdiction, leaving the convictions to stand.
The arrests and convictions drew attention across the country.
“The two journalists should never have been on trial,” said Katherine Jacobsen, with the Committee to Protect Journalists.
The legal precedent in the case could have consequences for non-mainstream news outlets across the country, she told the Charlotte Observer.
“They were performing a public service and recording police activity,” she said, calling their convictions “a blatant violation of their First Amendment rights” that could “set an unsettling precedent for journalists in Asheville and the nation.”
Tensions in Charlottesville between police, unhoused population
Beyond the freedom of the press implications, Asheville, known as a progressive city, has faced scrutiny for its treatment of the homeless population.
In Charlottesville, there has been similar tension among police officers, unhoused individuals and homeless advocates related to hours at city parks, including the one-acre Market Street Park located downtown.
In 2023, officers were accused of mistreating the unhoused population, allegedly kicking one individual to wake them up after hours at the park.
“This disgusting treatment and frankly abuse from the city is, honestly, quite ironic given the fact that Charlottesville and the University of Virginia, to be more specific, have manufactured and perpetuated a housing crisis in this city,” said Dierdre Gilmore at the City Council meeting addressing the matter, according to a report from WINA.
The city launched an investigation, and temporarily lifted the closing time at the park to ease tensions.
Maddux: His resume from the city news release
Maddux served for more than a decade as the deputy city attorney in Asheville.
He was part of the legal team that led the response to numerous high-profile crises, including a major police misconduct incident, the COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest following the death of George Floyd and Hurricane Helene, according to the news release from the City of Charlottesville.
He brings a broad range of legal experience in both the public and private sectors.
“The best legal work in local government happens through strong partnerships with council, staff and the community,” said Maddux. “I’m looking forward to bringing that approach to Charlottesville.”
Prior to his tenure in Asheville, he worked in New York City in corporate law and also served in the Raleigh City Attorney’s Office with a focus on environmental law.
While in Asheville, Maddux provided counsel on a wide array of municipal legal issues, including employment law, land use and zoning, policing and complex intergovernmental matters.
Maddux also played a key role in modernizing Asheville’s personnel systems.
He led reforms to the city’s civil service rules to promote fair and merit-based employment practices and was known for his collaborative approach with colleagues across departments.
Maddux holds bachelor’s degrees in music performance and music industry studies from Appalachian State University, a law degree from Campbell University School of Law and a Master of Laws from New York University School of Law.
Stroman’s tumultuous background as city attorney
Former City Attorney Jacob Stroman retired last year on Sept. 3.
Stroman was hired by the City of Charlottesville in July 2023. In April 2024, he was placed on administrative leave pending an unspecified investigation.
A city news release announcing his retirement said that he had been exonerated in the investigation, though no details were provided.
According to a report from Charlottesville Tomorrow, Stroman was caught up in an ethics scandal involving Chesapeake Mayor Rick West who asked the then-Chesapeake city attorney to help his stepbrother with a legal issue related to a septic tank.
Stroman resigned from the Chesapeake position in January 2023 after the City Council there gave him the opportunity to do so before terminating him. City Council had allegedly been dissatisfied with Stroman’s push for more transparency in city government matters.
A Charlottesville City Council member said the Chesapeake matter involving the mayor had nothing to do with Stroman’s administrative leave.
According to a report by NBC29, Stroman received $162,000 in severance pay from the city upon his retirement. His annual salary was more than $217,000.
While Stroman was on leave, the Richmond-based firm Sands Anderson served as legal counsel for the city.
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- NC journalists convicted of trespassing for videotaping police raid of homeless encampment
- Two North Carolina journalists convicted on trespassing charges in press freedom case
- Press groups pushing NC prosecutor to drop trespassing charges against two reporters
- Charlottesville lifts closing time in Market Street Park to ease tension between PD, homeless
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Crystal Graham
