Government Inc. leads to red ink for small business

AFP

   Column by Bob Goodlatte www.goodlatte.house.gov Four years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in the now-notorious case of Kelo v. City of New London, which authorized the government to take private property from individuals for nearly any reason under the guise of eminent domain, even to give to other private individuals…

Heard of the First Amendment?

Chris Graham

ACLU backs Gloucester residents in removal case Staff Report News Tips: [email protected] The ACLU of Virginia and the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression today filed an amicus brief in the Virginia Supreme Court on behalf of 40 Gloucester residents who were ordered to pay a total of $80,000 in fees after…

Focus | Tensions over social policy take center stage

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham Bob McDonnell led the GOP sweep in the 2009 state races and a six-seat Republican Party pickup in the House of Delegates with his move early in the ’09 election cycle to stake his campaign and by extension the campaigns of Republican candidates across Virginia on the economy and jobs to…

Chesterfield kills controversial warrantless-search proposal

AFP

The Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously last night to kill a controversial proposal that would have enabled county inspectors to enter rental units without first obtaining a warrant. Under the proposed ordinance, building owners in designated districts would have been required to allow inspections of the interior of their properties once notified by…

Criticism nixes juror-ID shield

Chris Graham

A committee of the Virginia Supreme Court has withdrawn a controversial proposal to make jurors anonymous in all state court criminal trials. The committee’s apparent turnabout comes as a result of strong criticism from open government advocates, who argued that allowing the public to know jurors’ identities is an essential part of a fair and…

David Lampo | Cuccinelli is no libertarian

AFP

Here’s a pop quiz: Who said the following: “When you look at the homosexual agenda, I cannot support something that I believe brings nothing but self-destruction, not only physically but of their soul.” A. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad B.Vladimir Putin C. Ken Cuccinelli Although most folks might guess it was Mr. Ahmadinejad, the Holocaust-denying president of Iran,…

ACLU: Warrantless inspections raise a constitutional red flag

AFP

The ACLU of Virginia has warned Chesterfield County officials that a controversial proposal to inspect rental units without a warrant infringes on the constitutional rights of owners and tenants. In a letter sent two weeks ago to the Board of Supervisors and County Attorney Steven L. Micas, ACLU of Virginia Legal Director Rebecca Glenberg says…