Insights

Under current Virginia Law, there exist "presumptions against bond." These are laid out in the code, and specify that for certain charges, the Judge should presume (subject to being rebutted by other evidence) that a person will not follow the terms of any bond, and...

Among the new bills being considered in the General Assembly this year is a bill to change how Robbery is treated by the Virginia Code, HB 1936. Currently, Robbery is not defined in the Code, Section 18.2-58. It is a single, unclassified felony with a sentencing range...

Federal criminal cases in Virginia and Washington D.C. are suspending all jury trials until February and March, respectively. On January 8, 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) temporarily suspended through February 28, 2021, all...

Update: This law did not pass, and was not enacted. See our previous Post about Virginia's law on mask wearing: Here. Currently, Virginia Code, Section 18.2-422 makes it a Class 6 Felony, carrying up to 5 years in prison, to wear a mask in public so as to to conceal...

The introduction of body cameras in Arlington will have a big effect in how criminal cases are prosecuted. From ARL Now: Arlington County police officers will start wearing body cameras on Wednesday, the police department announced today. “Effective Wednesday,...

From Vernon Miles at ALXNow, regarding a potential Body Worn Camera (BWC) program in Alexandria: The report acknowledges ...that Alexandria is one of the few jurisdictions in the area that doesn’t have a body worn camera program either implemented or in the works....

Driving Under the Influence (DUI or DWI) is a serious offense that carries stiff criminal penalties, along with civil penalties such as a loss of your driver's license, as well as social stigma. Being arrested and charged with a first offense DUI is a jarring and...