Latest news with #SupremeCourtofVirginia
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Youngkin orders flags to be lowered to honor Jerrauld Jones
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Governor Glenn Youngkin ordered all flags to be lowered to half-staff on Wednesday to honor longtime judge and state delegate Jerrauld C. Jones. Jerrauld Jones, civil rights pioneer and state delegate, dies at 70 Jones' family announced that he died on Saturday, May 31 at the age of 70. Jones became the first African American law clerk to the Supreme Court of Virginia, served as a Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates for 14 years, represented Norfolk's 89th District and served as the long-time chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus. The order states that all flags will be lowered at sunrise on Wednesday, June 4 and are to remain at half-staff until sunset. Continue to check for updates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Candidate Profile: Jay C. Jones (Virginia Attorney General)
Jay C. Jones is a candidate for Virginia Attorney General and is running as a Democrat. His name will appear on the June 17, 2025 ballot. Jones is running against challenger Shannon L. Taylor in the June Democratic primary. The winner will appear on the ballot for the General Election on Nov. 4. If you are voting in this election, from May 2 through June 14 you can vote early at your On Election Day, polls in Virginia are open from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. Don't forget to bring your ID. to see who is on your ballot. 10 On Your Side reached out to all of the candidates running in this race, with a request for a bio and a list of questions to answer. If you do not see the candidate listed with a profile, we did not receive one. Candidate Profiles Name: Jay C. JonesAge: 36Website: I was born and raised in Norfolk, with deep family roots in Virginia. My father was the first Black law clerk to the judges of the Supreme Court of Virginia, and my mother spent her career in public service. They are the best example of hard work I know, and to this day they are my role models in the fight for justice. I attended William and Mary and the University of Virginia School of Law. As a Delegate, I worked to expand Medicaid, raise teacher pay, and protect reproductive freedom and abortion rights. I later served as Assistant Attorney General for the District of Columbia, where I worked to protect families from fraudsters and predatory lenders. I've always fought for Virginia families — and that's exactly what I'll keep doing as your Attorney General. I'm running because Virginians deserve an Attorney General who puts protecting our Commonwealth—not corporate donors or political party bosses—first. Under Jason Miyares, this office has become a tool for partisan culture wars, extremist ideology, and serving the interests of corporate donors. I'll return it to its true purpose: protecting Virginians, defending our rights, and standing up to powerful interests. From voting rights to reproductive freedom to consumer protection, I'll be a people's lawyer—fighting for fairness, justice, and a future that includes all of us. I've served as a legislator, an Assistant Attorney General, and a lifelong public servant focused on fairness and justice. As Assistant Attorney General, I worked to protect families from fraud and predatory lending, holding bad actors accountable. In the House of Delegates, I introduced legislation to return hundreds of millions of dollars in utility overcharges to Virginia families and businesses. I also helped pass Virginia's red flag law to keep guns out of dangerous hands. I know how this office works—and how to deliver real results for Virginians. Local prosecutors are elected by their communities and deserve respect—but that doesn't mean the Attorney General should rubber-stamp every decision. I've watched Jason Miyares use this office to push political agendas and go after local leaders for doing their jobs. That's not real oversight, it's grandstanding. As Attorney General, I'll work with local officials to keep our communities safe, but I won't hesitate to ensure that Virginians' rights are not violated. Protecting Virginians comes first—every time. One of the biggest failures of Jason Miyares is his refusal to stand up to the Trump administration and its allies when their policies hurt Virginians. Whether it's threats to defund our public schools, attacks on reproductive freedom, or rolling back protections for workers and consumers, Miyares looks the other way—or worse, cheers them on. As Attorney General, I'll make sure Virginia fights back when Washington overreaches. We need an Attorney General who's willing to defend our rights and protect Virginians' livelihoods, no matter who is in the White House. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Va. Supreme Court Justice Lawrence Koontz, a pillar of the state judiciary, dies at 85
Lawrence Koontz, a retired justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, passed away on Sunday. He was 85 years old. (Photo courtesy of the Virginia Mountain/Valley Lawyers' Alliance) Ret. Virginia Supreme Court Justice Lawrence Koontz, a longtime jurist who served on every level of Virginia's court system and helped shape the state's judiciary, died Sunday in Salem, according to a news release from the Virginia Mountain/Valley Lawyers' Alliance. He was 85. A native of the Roanoke Valley, Koontz received his law degree from the University of Richmond and spent more than five decades on the bench, including 16 years as an active Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia and another 13 years as a Senior Justice, making him one of the longest-serving jurists in the commonwealth's history. Koontz was known for his role in the founding of the Virginia Court of Appeals, where he served as the second chief judge and established many of its administrative policies. Among his most notable opinions was his majority ruling in Arlington County v. White in 2000, which applied Virginia's strict 'Dillon Rule' doctrine to prevent local governments from offering health benefits to unmarried domestic partners, including same-sex couples. Later that year, Koontz also authored a dissent in Atkins v. Commonwealth, arguing that individuals with intellectual disabilities should be given special consideration in criminal sentencing. His position was later echoed in the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling overturning the death sentence in the case. In a 2008 dissent in Porter v. Commonwealth, Koontz warned that Virginia's death penalty laws would not withstand constitutional scrutiny if courts failed to rigorously ensure fair trials. Later in his career, he presided over the Supreme Court as acting chief justice due to the illness of Chief Justice LeRoy R. Hassell, Sr. His final opinion as a Senior Justice was issued in Chesapeake Hospital Authority v. State Health Commissioner in 2022. Koontz's judicial career began in 1968 when he was appointed to the Juvenile Court of the City of Roanoke. He was later elected to the 23rd Circuit Court of Virginia and then to the Virginia Court of Appeals upon its creation in 1985. In 1995, the General Assembly elected him to the Supreme Court of Virginia, where he served until reaching the mandatory retirement age in 2011. Koontz's collected opinions were published in a seven-volume set titled 'Jurist Prudent — The Judicial Opinions of Lawrence L. Koontz, Jr.,' with the final volume released in 2017. He is survived by his wife, children, and many grandchildren. Memorial service arrangements are pending. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
