Weekly Edition
Consumers score under Fair Credit Act
By Peter Vieth
May 19, 2008
Consumers won big last week in two federal court rulings interpreting the Fair Credit Reporting Act. In one case, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an award of $80,000 in punitive damages under the FCRA even though the jury found no basis for any actual damages. In the other case, a […]
A question of technique
By Alan Cooper
May 19, 2008
Virginia could end up adopting a different method of lethal injection, following a line of questioning from a 4th Circuit judge during a death-penalty case.
As Washington defense attorney Matthew S. Hellman was describing what he saw as Virginia’s “unique and uniquely dangerous” lethal injection procedure, Judge Dennis C. Shedd interrupted and asked whether the […]
Agee and Conrad tapped for 4th Circuit
By Peter Vieth
May 19, 2008
President Bush’s recent nomination of two Virginia judges for the 4th U.S.Circuit Court of Appeals holds the promise of fast relief for that shorthanded court. Moreover, the president’s choice of nominees may signal a thaw in the chilly political climate surrounding federal judicial appointments.
Both Virginia Supreme Court Justice G. Steven Agee and U.S. District Judge […]
Lawyer counsels colleagues on ways to collect appointed pay
By Alan Cooper
May 19, 2008
Come on, guys.
It’s not that hard to track the time spent on criminal cases, and it probably will im-prove your practice in the
long run.
That’s the advice of Chesapeake sole practitioner Robert E. Kowalsky Jr. to his colleagues who represent indigent criminal defendants.
“I was one of those who did nothing but gripe at the thought […]
Judicial evaluation program gets new leadership
By Deborah Elkins
May 19, 2008
WILLIAMSBURG—There will be some new faces in the Judicial Performance Evaluation Program, as two of the people who helped launch the program turn the reins over to new leadership.
Justice Lawrence L. Koontz Jr., of the Supreme Court of Virginia, is assuming the duties of Justice Barbara Milano Keenan, who chaired the Supreme Court task force […]
One-handed jail applicant can sue under the ADA
By Peter Vieth
May 19, 2008
A one-handed applicant rejected for a job as a guard at a regional jail can go forward with her employment discrimination claim under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a Norfolk federal judge has ruled.
To overcome the conclusions of the jail superintendent and the jail’s doctor that the plaintiff could not safely perform the job, the […]
Obituaries
By Virginia Lawyers Weekly
May 19, 2008
David T. Stitt
David T. Stitt, a Fairfax circuit judge for more than 12 years and a former county attorney, died May 10 after suffering a heart attack while on vacation in Topsail Beach, N.C. He was 65.
Judge Stitt was born in St. Louis but his family moved when he was 2 to Austin, Texas, where […]
Man pleads guilty to spying on behalf of Chinese government
By News in Brief
May 19, 2008
ALEXANDRIA—A New Orleans furniture salesman has pleaded guilty to spying for the Chinese government and providing Beijing with secret information on military relations between the United States and Taiwan.
Tai Shen Kuo, 58, a Taiwan native and naturalized U.S. citizen, faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced Aug. 8.
Kuo’s lawyers, Plato […]
Circuit City challenges fine over TV notices
By News in Brief
May 19, 2008
Federal regulators should throw out fines imposed against Circuit City Stores Inc. for violating rules regarding next year’s switch from analog to digital television, the consumer electronics retailer said in a filing Tuesday.
The Federal Communications Com-mission last month fined Circuit City, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Best Buy Co. and other retailers a combined $3.9 million […]
Dulles to test customs self-check by travellers
By News in Brief
May 19, 2008
WASHINGTON—Travelers who love going abroad – but hate the tedious customs process – may soon be able to avoid it altogether.
Dulles International Airport has been selected for a pilot program which will let U.S. citizens and others who qualify check themselves through customs at a self-service kiosk.
The domestic program is called “CLEAR” and […]
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