Section News and Information
November 26, 2008
Access contact information for all criminal law section members
Section members may now access contact information for all Active and Associate members in good standing of the Criminal Law Section by logging into the Member Resources Area.May 28, 2009
Case Clarification Rowe v. Commonwealth (May 2009 Criminal Law News)
The latest newsletter reported that Rowe v. Commonwealth, 277 Va. 495 “upheld” agreements between municipalities that give officers from one jurisdiction authority to enforce the laws of the Commonwealth. Actually, the court’s opinion “applied” such an agreement to uphold a conviction for assault of a law-enforcement officer, but the court noted that the statute authorizing such agreements was not challenged by the defendant, thus the court expressed no opinion on the validity of the statute. 5-26-09August 20, 2009
August 2009 Newsletter Now Available
The August 2009 Newsletter Now Available online to Section Members via the Member Resources area.August 20, 2009
Schedule Updated for DNA Notification Project
Schedule updated for DNA Notification Project Attorney TrainingAugust 26, 2009
VLW Link - Melendez-Diaz Forms Online
VLW Link - Melendez-Diaz Forms OnlineNovember 5, 2009
November 2009 Newsletter Now Available
The November 2009 Newsletter is available in the Member Resources Section.November 6, 2009
Revised SCVA Policy on Vouchers and Payment Requests
Revised SCVA Policy on Vouchers and Payment RequestsDecember 7, 2009
2010 Annual Seminar Schedule Finalized
Visit the
VSB/Virginia CLE 40th Annual Criminal Law Seminar site
January 5, 2010
Access contact information for section members
Access contact information for all Active and Associate members in good standing of the Criminal Law Section for the 2009-2010 bar year in the member resources section.
January 19, 2010
January 2010 Newsletter now available
The January 2010 Newsletter is now available in the member resources section.February 12, 2010
Judge Willis Named Recipient of 2010 Professionalism Award
The Virginia State Bar Criminal Law Section has presented its 2010 Harry L. Carrico Professionalism Award to retired judge Jere M.H. “Mac” Willis Jr. of Fredericksburg, who served on the Virginia Court of Appeals.The award was presented on Feb. 12, 2010, during the section’s 40th Annual Criminal Law Seminar in Williamsburg. Reno S. Harp III, retired chief counsel to the Virginia Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission and a previous Carrico Award winner, was the keynote speaker.
February 24, 2010
New Video Replays of 2010 Criminal Law Seminar Scheduled
VaCLE has added two dates to the video replay schedule for the 2010 Annual Criminal Law Seminar, in part to accommodate attorneys who were registered for the Charlottesville session of the seminar scheduled on February 5, which was cancelled because of snow.
Replays will be offered on Monday, March 15, and Thursday, March 18, at the Virginia CLE office in Charlottesville. These dates are in addition to the previously advertised schedule of seminars which will be held throughout the state in March and April. See complete schedule on the VaCLE Seminar's web page. These seminars are open to all Virginia attorneys.
For more information, contact Virginia CLE at (800) 979-8253, or register online on the VaCLE website.
April 10, 2010
Immigration Consequences of Criminal Convictions CLE, Including Analysis of Padilla v. Kentucky
http://www.vsb.org/site/conferences/ylc-news/immigration-cle-2010-04/May 7, 2010
2010 May Newsletter Now Available
The 2010 May Newsletter of the Criminal Law Section is now available in Member Resources.June 21, 2010
Supreme Court of Virginia Rule changes effective July 1, 2010
Adopted Amendments to Parts 5 and 5A, Rules of the Supreme Court of Virginia, regarding appellate procedure
(Effective July 1, 2010)
On April 30, 2010, the Supreme Court of Virginia entered amendments to Parts 5 and 5A of its rules governing appellate procedure.
See the Memo Appellate Rules Revisions by University of Virginia Law Professor Kent Sinclair outlining some of the important changes.
The Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia maintains the Virginia's Judicial System website where these rules may be found.
Check Amendments to Rules of the Supreme Court of Virginia for recent updates.
September 14, 2010
2010 September Newsletter Now Available
The 2010 September Newsletter of the Criminal Law Section is accessible in the Member Resources section.October 5, 2010
Fed. Act Provides Loan Repayment Funds for Public Defenders and Prosecutors
The John R. Justice Act - Federal Act Provides Loan Repayment Funds for Public Defenders and Prosecutors (.pdf)November 4, 2010
Rule 4.2 Amended by SCVA - Defendant Waiving Rights (effective 11/1/10)
Rule 4.2 Amended by SCVA - Defendant Waiving Rights (effective 11/1/10)November 29, 2010
2011 Annual Seminar Schedule Finalized
2011 Annual Seminar Schedule FinalizedFebruary 1, 2011
Trial of Capital Murder Cases in Virginia - 2011 Cumulative Supplement Is Now Available
A cooperative effort of Virginia CLE and the Criminal Law Section of the Virginia State Bar, with financial assistance provided by a grant from the Virginia Law Foundation.
Description
This essential resource is both a guide for attorneys and a source of information for judges who are involved with capital cases in Virginia. The book includes several tables of relevant cases arranged by different groupings: by defendant’s surname; by degree of aggravation and mitigation; by aggravator; and by the section of the Virginia Code offended. There is also a section discussing ineffective assistance of counsel issues. If you handle criminal cases in Virginia where capital punishment is even a possibility, you should have this book.
The fourth edition of this book was published in 2009. The book is available in both print and CD-ROM formats and is also available for immediate download from Virginia CLE’s website at www.vacle.org.
The 2011 cumulative supplement is now available from Virginia CLE. Click here to order.
April 19, 2011
2011 April Criminal Law News Now Available
2011 April Criminal Law News now available via Member Resources AreaMay 26, 2011
Section to consider bylaw amendment at Annual Business Meeting
(open to all Section members)
PROPOSED BYLAW AMENDMENTS
SECTION ON CRIMINAL LAW -VIRGINIA STATE BAR
ARTICLE IV
Nomination and Election of Officers
The nominating committee shall meet at the place of the Annual Meeting at a time designated by the Chair of the Section and shall make and report to the Section nominations for any offices held by members whose terms expire on the 30th day of June following the Annual Meeting, or for any offices which are then vacant.
Three members of the nominating committee shall constitute a quorum, and, if less than a quorum is present, the Chair of the Section shall appoint new members sufficient to constitute a quorum. Other nominations may be made from the floor of the Section meeting.
July 7, 2011
2010-2011 Annual Report Available
The 2010-2011 Annual Report of the Criminal Law Section is available.September 14, 2011
Carrico Professionalism Award Call for Nominations
September 25, 2011
2012 Annual Seminar Schedule Finalized
The 2012 Annual Seminar schedule has been finalized.
December 12, 2011
Loan Repayment Assistance Available
The Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) is pleased to announce the availability of education loan repayment assistance for prosecutors and public defenders, pursuant to the federal John R. Justice Grant Program.
These funds are available to attorneys employed fulltime in Commonwealth’s Attorneys’ offices who prosecute criminal and juvenile delinquency cases; attorneys employed fulltime by the Indigent Defense Commission who provide legal representation of persons in criminal and juvenile delinquency cases; and fulltime federal defender attorneys in Virginia.
Information about the John R. Justice Program is available on our website at http://www.dcjs.virginia.gov/programs/jrj/. We have posted downloadable versions of the documents needed to apply for assistance: the program guidelines, the application form, and the required Service Agreement.
Applications for assistance must be received by DCJS no later than January 30, 2012.
For further information about the John R. Justice Program in Virginia, contact:
Linda Jafari at 804.786.4155 or linda.jafari@dcjs.virginia.gov
Joe Marshall at 804.786.1577 or joe.marshall@dcjs.virginia.gov
Department of Criminal Justice Services
1100 Bank Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Formal Announcement (.pdf)
February 6, 2012
Public Defender Melinda Douglas Presented with Carrico Award
The Virginia State Bar Criminal Law Section has presented its 2012 Harry L. Carrico Professionalism Award to Melinda Douglas, Public Defender for the City of Alexandria since 1987.
The award was presented on February 3, 2012, during the section’s 42nd Annual Criminal Law Seminar in Williamsburg. The Honorable Martin F. Clark Jr., author and judge in the Patrick County Circuit Court, was the keynote speaker.
The award was named for a former Virginia Supreme Court chief justice who promoted the ideals of professionalism during his 42 years on the state’s highest court.
Petersburg General District Court Judge Lucretia A. Carrico, daughter of former Chief Justice Carrico, presented the award on behalf of her father. “Her activities and energy all illustrate her commitment to the improvement of the criminal justice system,” Judge Carrico said of Ms. Douglas during the award presentation. “She realizes that her clients are the poor and the downtrodden, and how important it is to work to ensure that each and every one of them receives a fair trial with proper professional representation that can only be achieved through the hard work necessary to be fully prepared and proficient in the law and facts of each case.”
Ms. Douglas earned a bachelor’s degree from Boston University and a law degree from the Antioch College School of Law. In addition to heading the Public Defender’s office, she is an adjunct professor of law at the Washington College of Law, American University, has been a speaker at various Continuing Legal Education seminars, is a past chair of the Criminal Law Section, and a member of numerous task forces on criminal law.
Ms. Douglas is also a respected teacher. "Melinda's singular and unique contribution to the commonwealth is that by paying attention to each individual attorney, intern, and client that passes through her office, she has improved the system of criminal justice in the Commonwealth of Virginia," according to a group letter signed by federal defenders Kenneth P. Troccoli, Mary E. Maguire, and Richard C. Goemann.
May 1, 2012
2012 May Criminal Law News Now Available
2012 May Criminal Law News is now available in the Member Resources area.