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Blue Ridge Legal Services Executive Director John Whitfield was a panelist Tuesday at a White House forum examining the state of civil legal assistance for low-income Americans. The forum was co-hosted by the Legal Services Corporation. Whitfield said that the “double whammy” of severe cuts in both federal and IOLTA funding has forced the program…
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The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia today announced that it has hired Claire Guthrie Gastañaga to succeed executive director Kent Willis, who last week announced he was leaving after 25 years with the organization. Gastañaga is scheduled to start at the beginning of June. “Claire brings to the ACLU a huge network of people…
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Dear EarthTalk: Can you fill me in on what the “Just Label It” campaign is and what it is trying to accomplish? – Eric Altieri, Columbus, Ohio Just Label It is an effort spearheaded by organic farmers and food producers, consumer and public health advocates and environmentalists to persuade the federal government to require that…
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If a kid steals a cookie, does it make sense to give him another and then hope that he won’t do it again? An army of corporate lobbyists is trying to convince Congress that after stashing nearly $1.4 trillion offshore to avoid paying the U.S. taxes they owe, they should get a massive tax discount…
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In an order signed Wednesday, United States District Court Judge Robert E. Payne ruled that privacy advocate B.J. Ostergren may post public records that contain Social Security Numbers on her website, despite a 2008 Virginia law prohibiting the dissemination of such information. The injunction, which was agreed upon by Ostergren and Virginia Attorney General Ken…
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Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli today announced his support for new legislation which clarifies Virginia’s gambling laws. Questions about the law arose in 2010 when a number of Internet gambling businesses started to appear around the Commonwealth. Companion bills, House Bill 1700 and Senate Bill 1195, patroned by Del. Clay Athey (R-Front Royal) and Sen….
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Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli said Wednesday that he will donate than $55,000 in campaign money from a contributor who is now under investigation. “We were practicing the principle of presumed innocence with Bobby Thompson, awaiting proof from law enforcement that the money he had given the campaign was either a legitimate donation or was…
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Column by David Toscano Submit guest columns: [email protected] Virginia is the model of the citizen legislature. Delegates and senators are not full-time elected officials; most of us have other jobs. The House of Delegates and the State Senate meet for only 60 days during one year and 45 days during the next year. While…
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Column by Del. Ken Plum www.kenplum.com Last week I took the extraordinary step of making a motion on the floor of the House of Delegates that a bill be discharged from a committee. The rules provide for such a motion, but it is seldom made and almost never approved. Had my motion been approved,…
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Featured: Sen. Creigh Deeds, Sen. Mark Obenshain Creigh Deeds: Weekly Update www.creighdeeds.com The third full week of the General Assembly session ended in unusual fashion. For the first time in recent memory, the General Assembly took a snow day. Granted we have had difficult weather this winter, beginning with the snow storm in the middle…
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