All results / Stories / Associated Press
Good riddance
68 law enforcement officers have been decertified in Virginia since a new state law took effect last March expanding the grounds for which they can be disqualified to work.
Two years ago, the only reasons police officers could be decertified in Virginia were if they tested positive for drugs, were convicted of certain crimes or failed to complete required training.
Henrico County deputies charged in man’s death at mental hospital
Seven Virginia sheriff’s office employees have been charged with second degree murder in connection with the death of a 28-year-old man at a state mental hospital last week, a local prosecutor said Tuesday.
Northam orders speed up of unemployment cases
Following months of complaints from laid-off workers, Gov. Ralph S. Northam said Tuesday he is taking steps to expand the Virginia Employment Commission’s ability to process complex unemployment claims.
Trump pleads not guilty to federal charges that he illegally kept classified documents
Trump became the first former president to face a judge on federal charges as he pleaded not guilty in a Miami courtroom Tuesday to dozens of felony counts accusing him of hoarding classified documents and refusing government demands to give them back.
Supreme Court rejects GOP argument in North Carolina case that could have transformed U.S. elections
The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that state courts can curtail the actions of their legislatures when it comes to federal redistricting and elections, rejecting arguments by North Carolina Republicans that could have dramatically altered races for Congress and president in that state and beyond.
Justice Sandra Day O’Connor will lie in repose at the Supreme Court on Dec. 18
Retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor will lie in repose at the Supreme Court on Dec. 18, with a funeral service at the National Cathedral the following day, the court said Monday.
Recovery and reflection
Hawaii works to identify wildfire’s 107 dead
Hawaii Hawaii officials worked painstakingly to identify the 107 people confirmed killed in wildfires that ravaged Maui and expected to release the first names Tuesday, even as teams intensified the search for more dead in neighborhoods reduced to ash.
Mother of 6-year-old who shot teacher indicted by grand jury
A grand jury has indicted the mother of a 6-year-old boy who shot his teacher on charges of child neglect and failing to secure her handgun in the family’s home, a prosecutor said Monday.
Second grand jury to probe fatal police shooting in Virginia
A prosecutor has requested a special grand jury to investigate the fatal police shooting of an unarmed shoplifting suspect outside a Northern Virginia shopping mall after an earlier grand jury refused to issue an indictment.
Clarence Thomas statue backed by Republicans in Georgia
Republican Georgia lawmakers are again trying to erect a statue of U.S. Supreme Court Justice and Georgia native Clarence Thomas on the State Capitol grounds in Atlanta, in what many Democrats, particularly Black ones, see as an insensitive display of partisan power.
The Supreme Court says it is adopting a code of ethics, but it has no means of enforcement
The Supreme Court on Monday adopted its first code of ethics, in the face of sustained criticism over undisclosed trips and gifts from wealthy benefactors to some justices, but the code lacks a means of enforcement.
Officer, once beaten by colleagues, to lead Boston Police
A former Boston Police officer who was beaten more than 25 years ago by colleagues who mistook him for a shooting suspect will be the new leader of the city’s police department, Mayor Michelle Wu announced Wednesday.
Secrecy over defense secretary’s hospitalization has White House defensive
President Biden’s administration pledged from day one to restore truth and transparency to the federal government — but now it’s facing a maelstrom of criticism and credibility questions after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization was kept secret for days, even from the White House.
Federal appeals court deals a blow to Voting Rights Act, ruling that private plaintiffs can’t sue
A divided federal appeals court on Monday ruled that private individuals and groups such as the NAACP do not have the ability to sue under a key section of the federal Voting Rights Act, a decision that contradicts decades of precedent and could further erode protections under the landmark 1965 law.
Judge holds Giuliani liable in Georgia election workers’ defamation case and orders him to pay fees
A federal judge on Wednesday held Rudy Giuliani liable in a defamation lawsuit brought by two Georgia election workers who say they were falsely accused of fraud, entering a default judgment against the former New York mayor and ordering him to pay tens of thousands of dollars in lawyers’ fees.
Virginia statehouse candidates face questions about residency requirements
Virginia state lawmakers are required to live in the district they represent, as well as in any district they might be seeking to represent. If they move out of their district, the state constitution states they are out of office. Those requirements, combined with political maps that took effect this year, have created a headache for some candidates.
Gang demands $17M ransom for 17 missionaries kidnapped in Haiti
A gang that kidnapped 17 members of a U.S.-based missionary group has demanded a $17 million ransom for them, according to Haiti’s justice minister, as quoted by the Wall Street Journal.
Race central issue in Virginia-Maryland redistricting arguments before high court
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy appears to hold the decisive vote in two cases involving challenges from African-American voters to electoral districts in Virginia and North Carolina.
Trump vows to end political limits on churches
Declaring that religious freedom is “under threat,” President Trump vowed to repeal a rarely enforced IRS rule that says pastors who endorse candidates from the pulpit risk losing their tax-exempt status. “I will get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment and allow our representatives of faith to speak freely and without fear of retribution,” President Trump said at the National Prayer Breakfast, a high-profile event earlier this month that brought together faith leaders, politicians and dignitaries. President Trump’s pledge was a nod to his evangelical Christian supporters, who helped power his White House win. So far, he has not detailed his plans for doing away with the rule, which he previously promised to rescind.
