Law Commons^™

Recent Developments In Virginia Taxation, Craig D. Bell, William L.S Rowe

William & Mary Annual Tax Conference

No abstract provided.

Go Green, Save Money: Lowering Flood Insurance Rates In Virginia With Stormwater Management And Open Space, Adele Young, Kristen Clark

Virginia Coastal Policy Center

No abstract provided.

Of Valentines, Diamonds, Emeralds And Peanuts: Heart Balm In Virginia, Paul M. Birch

Law Faculty Publications

A light look at heart balm statutes and Peter v. Langley, Civ. 89241 (Va. Cir. Ct. Nov. 6, 2014).

Socioeconomic Integration And The Greater Richmond School District: The Feasibility Of Interdistrict Consolidation, Barry Gabay

Law Student Publications

This article seeks to offer a mitigating solution to the educational inequities plaguing Richmond Public Schools--socioeconomic integration and district consolidation. Under this race-neutral school assignment proposal, desegregation efforts are based not on an individual's ethnicity, but socioeconomic status. The proposal seeks to have no more than 50% of a student body receiving free or reduced-price lunch in any one school in the Richmond area. However, because of Richmond Public Schools' existing high poverty rate, no socioeconomic redistricting proposal would be effective without incorporating Richmond's adjacent suburbs- Chesterfield and Henrico counties.

Death As A Bargaining Chip: Plea Bargaining And The Future Of Virginia's Death Penalty, John G. Douglass

Law Faculty Publications

Virginia now averages less than a single death sentence each year, a far cry from its not-too-distant history as the second most active death penalty state in the nation. The numbers alone tempt us to forecast the death of Virginia's death penalty: a death by disuse. But those numbers leave much of the story untold. The plummeting number of death sentences is only the diminishing tip of a larger, more stable iceberg of capital case litigation. That iceberg is melting very slowly, if at all.

Time To Upgrade Drinking Water Protections, Noah M. Sachs

Law Faculty Publications

A year ago, residents of Charleston, W.Va., learned that their entire drinking water supply had become contaminated by MCHM, a toxic chemical used to wash coal. Ten thousand gallons of MCHM had spilled from a corroding storage tank by the Elk River, located a mile upstream of the city’s drinking water intake pipes. As a result of the chemical spill, 300,000 citizens lost their water for more than a week, and hundreds sought emergency care.

That accident alone should have been a wake-up call for Virginians about the need to protect our water supply from chemical spills. But a year …

Marriage Equality Comes To Virginia, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

Part I of this article chronicles marriage equality's rise and development nationally. It ascertains that challenges, which fos- tered the invalidation of marriage prohibitions that essentially govern nearly all jurisdictions, including Virginia, have triggered some controversy. Part II scrutinizes Judge Wright Allen's resolu- tion of the Virginia litigation and the United States Court of Ap- peals for the Fourth Circuit determination, which affirmed her ruling. This portion finds that the district jurist comprehensively assessed the relevant legal and factual issues when striking down the proscription while the Fourth Circuit appropriately upheld her opinion. Part III then derives lessons from the …

A Shot In The Dark: Why Virginia Should Adopt The Firing Squad As Its Primary Method Of Execution, P. Thomas Distanislao, Iii

Law Student Publications

This comment recommends that Virginia cease its use of lethal injection because of its high botch rates and growing impracticability due to drug shortages. Instead, the Commonwealth should use the firing squad as a more effective means of execution, thereby leading the nation in a transition towards a more efficient and reliable method.

Risk-Based Pretrial Release Recommendation And Supervision Guidelines, Mona J.E. Danner, Marie Vannostrand, Lisa M. Spruce

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

[Introduction] Pretrial services agencies in Virginia are actively engaged in identifying, testing, and implementing pretrial services legal and evidence-based practices (LEBP) that are consistent with the legal and constitutional rights afforded to accused persons awaiting trial, and that research has proven to be effective in reducing unnecessary detention while assuring court appearance and the safety of the community during the pretrial stage. The virginia pretrial risk assessment instrument (VPRAI), known nationally as the "Virginia Model," was the first research-based statewide pretrial risk assessment in the country. The VPRAI examines eight risk factors that are weighted to create a risk score, …