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Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Criminal Law And Procedure, William J. Dinkin, Cullen D. Seltzer Jan 2001

Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Criminal Law And Procedure, William J. Dinkin, Cullen D. Seltzer

University of Richmond Law Review

Because a large amount of the docket for the Court of Appeals of Virginia is comprised of criminal cases, and since the General Assembly regularly turns its attention to the questions of crime and punishment, in almost any year there are a great number of substantial developments in the criminal law. This past year was no exception. This article surveys developments in criminal law and procedure in Virginia from July 2000 to July 2001. Although this article is intended to survey significant developments over the past year, the reader is cautioned to bear in mind several important caveats.


Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Criminal Law And Procedure, Michael Edmund O'Neill Jan 2000

Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Criminal Law And Procedure, Michael Edmund O'Neill

University of Richmond Law Review

The Commonwealth of Virginia is so named (as opposed to being denominated simply a "state") because the term "commonwealth" is used to indicate a government in which "supreme power is vested in the people."' That term is particularly apt, for in what better way does a government provide for the common weal of its people than by protecting them against crime, while at the same time respecting their individual rights and liberties? This is a delicate balance, one that is reflected in this survey of the most recent developments in Virginia criminal law and procedure. The legislative enactments and judicial …


Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Legal Issues Involving Children, Robert E. Shepherd Jr. Jan 2000

Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Legal Issues Involving Children, Robert E. Shepherd Jr.

University of Richmond Law Review

The past year generally has been another quiet one for children's legal issues in Virginia, although it was a busier than normal year in the United States Supreme Court with the grandparents' visitation case, the Texas high school football game prayer case, a significant Title I case involving the provision of instructional material to religiously operated schools, and the gay Boy Scout leader case. Not as much occurred at the state level, with little legislation of great significance to children and youth being enacted at the 2000 General Assembly session. However, a succession of cases interpreting and applying Baker v. …


Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Criminal Law, Marla Graff Decker, John Hills Mclees Jr. Jan 1998

Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Criminal Law, Marla Graff Decker, John Hills Mclees Jr.

University of Richmond Law Review

This article summarizes all published criminal law decisions of the Supreme Court of Virginia and the major criminal law decisions of the Virginia Court of Appeals sitting en banc, issued between July 1, 1997, and July 1, 1998. Due to space limitations, however, the article includes only a few selected published panel opinions of the Virginia Court of Appeals. Also, this article includes a summary df the criminal law opinion from the Supreme Court of the United States which arose from a Virginia case during the period stated above. And finally, this article summarizes the most significant enactments from the …


Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Criminal Law And Procedure, Betty Layne Desportes, Steven D. Benjamin Jan 1997

Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Criminal Law And Procedure, Betty Layne Desportes, Steven D. Benjamin

University of Richmond Law Review

This article discusses holdings and trends in the published cases of the Virginia Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of Virginia from August 1996 to July 1997. Although the form of this article generally follows the same form used by prior authors, several subject headings have been renamed to reflect the current focus of the courts. For example, during this period the court of appeals grappled with the "community caretaker" doctrine, bifurcated sentencing proceedings in felony cases, jury selection, and various hearsay exceptions. The supreme court addressed an indigent defendant's right to expert assistance, administrative license suspensions, and speedy …


Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Criminal Law And Procedure, Cullen D. Seltzer Jan 1996

Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Criminal Law And Procedure, Cullen D. Seltzer

University of Richmond Law Review

This article discusses recent Virginia cases and legislative developments in the area of criminal law and procedure. The article discusses cases from April of 1995 to July of 1996 and legislative changes effective July 1, 1996. This article does not discuss federal developments. Nor does the article discuss death penalty issues, as that area of the law is sufficiently particularized that, for purposes of manageability, it falls outside the scope of this discussion.


Novak V. Commonwealth: Are Virginia Courts Providing Special Protection To Virginia's Juvenile Defendants?, Ellen R. Fulmer Jan 1996

Novak V. Commonwealth: Are Virginia Courts Providing Special Protection To Virginia's Juvenile Defendants?, Ellen R. Fulmer

University of Richmond Law Review

On March 9, 1991, Shawn Paul Novak was charged with the murder of two young boys, Daniel Grier, age nine, and Christopher Weaver, age seven. The boys had disappeared on March 4 and their bodies were found the next day after an extensive search. The police inquiry into the murders led to the questioning of a number of people, including Shawn, then age sixteen. Shawn was questioned on four separate occasions. At no time prior to, during, or after any of these questioning sessions was Shawn read his Mirandawarnings which specify the rights to which he was entitled under the …


Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Criminal Law And Procedure, Cullen D. Seltzer Jan 1995

Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Criminal Law And Procedure, Cullen D. Seltzer

University of Richmond Law Review

The past year has been an active one for the Virginia courts and General Assembly in the areas of criminal law and procedure. Developments include cases regarding the allowance of expert assistance to indigent criminal defendants and a defendant's right to a new trial based on after-discovered evidence. Driving under the influence [DUI] defendants are no longer entitled to their choice of a blood or breath test as a function of the implied consent law, and for felons convicted of committing an offense after December 31, 1994, parole is no longer an option. This article surveys these and other legislative …


Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Criminal Law And Procedure, Steven D. Benjamin Jan 1993

Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Criminal Law And Procedure, Steven D. Benjamin

University of Richmond Law Review

During the past year, the Court of Appeals of Virginia continued to be the major contributor to the development of substantive and procedural criminal law in the Commonwealth. Many of the court's decisions concerned the characterization of. police-citizen encounters in the context of both Fourth Amendment law and the rights of an accused under Miranda v. Arizona. A number of cases concerned the admissibility of uncharged misconduct, and the numerous double jeopardy opinions involved case-by-case application of Grady v. Corbin, Blockburger v. United States, and related statutes. A growing body of procedural law concerned the propriety of impanelling jurors of …


Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Legal Issues Involving Children, Robert E. Shepherd Jr. Jan 1991

Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Legal Issues Involving Children, Robert E. Shepherd Jr.

University of Richmond Law Review

The past year was considerably more tranquil than recent years with regard to legal developments involving children. For example, there were no major United States Supreme Court decisions directly affecting children, and the 1991 Virginia General Assembly's actions impacted on children mainly through budget cuts and the disappointing abolition of the Department for Children - a result of those cuts. Virginia's child labor laws were extensively revised in 1991, but few of these revisions will make a noticeable difference in the work relationships of the state's youth because they largely conform state law to existing federal law. Finally, legislation was …


Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Evidence, Charles E. Friend Jan 1987

Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Evidence, Charles E. Friend

University of Richmond Law Review

During 1986-1987, Virginia evidence law has been expanded and clarified. The Court of Appeals has proved to be an important source of evidentiary decisions, and the Supreme Court of Virginia has provided needed guidance in several areas.


Criminal Procedure And Criminal Law: Virginia Supreme Court Decisions During The 70'S, Michael J. Barbour, Thomas E. Carr, Sarah H. Finley, Jeannie L. Pilant Jan 1981

Criminal Procedure And Criminal Law: Virginia Supreme Court Decisions During The 70'S, Michael J. Barbour, Thomas E. Carr, Sarah H. Finley, Jeannie L. Pilant

University of Richmond Law Review

The purpose of this note is to examine the decisions of the Virginia Supreme Court during the period between 1970-1980 in the area of criminal procedure and substantive criminal law. Legislative changes will not be dealt with in depth except as they have affected these decisions. Because of space constraints, a complete review of all areas is impossible; therefore, review has been limited to those issues most likely to be of interest to the practicing attorney. The discussion will also attempt to establish the position of the Virginia Supreme Court on these matters in relation to the United States Supreme …


The Virginia Supreme Court: Authority Versus Power To Abolish The Common Law Jan 1974

The Virginia Supreme Court: Authority Versus Power To Abolish The Common Law

University of Richmond Law Review

The question of whether a state supreme court has the authority to abolish or modify a common law rule which is incorporated into the law of that state has been a frequent issue in courts throughout the United States. Every state, except Louisiana, has adopted the common law by statute or constitutional provision. Virginia has employed both methods.


Constitutional Law-Search And Seizure-No Knock Entry Held Reasonable In Virginia When Exigencies Present Jan 1973

Constitutional Law-Search And Seizure-No Knock Entry Held Reasonable In Virginia When Exigencies Present

University of Richmond Law Review

The fourth amendment to the United States Constitution, an express proclamation of the citizens' indefeasible right against unreasonable searches and seizures, has now been held fully applicable to state searches and seizures through the due process clause of the fourteenth amendment. Neither the fourth amendment to the United States Constitution nor any law in Virginia expressly requires those persons performing a search to "announce" their presence, identity, or purpose prior to making their entry for a valid search. Despite the absence of an express requirement of announcement before entry, the early common law in England and subsequent case law in …