The VLW Blog

The General Assembly earlier this week elected judges for many of the open seats across the commonwealth. One of the positions that remained vacant after Wednesday was a general district judgeship in Roanoke County. Judge Julian Raney retired at the end of December.

Local legislators were deadlocked between Roanoke Commonwealth’s Attorney Donald Caldwell and Salem City Councilman Christopher Clemens.

According to Peter Vieth of our western Virginia bureau, this morning at a Roanoke bench-bar conference, Roanoke Circuit Chief Judge James Swanson announced that the judges of the circuit met this morning had selected Clemens for the position.

Clemens, who practices in Salem, had won endorsements from the Roanoke Bar Association and the Salem/Roanoke County Bar Association.

A Roanoke County circuit judge has rebuffed a request to stop statewide collection of “civil remedial fees” from “abusive drivers.” The Roanoke Times reports that Judge Jim Swanson denied an injunction to a team of lawyers representing several drivers who face assessment of the new hefty fees.

The judge expressed some skepticism about their lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the new scheme, but he delayed ruling for another day.