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Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors protest timing of redistricting referendum
The Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution Thursday evening stating that it will not permit county facilities or resources to be used for early voting on a controversial referendum regarding redistricting efforts in Virginia unless authorized by a “court of competent jurisdiction.”
General Assembly passes bill containing new congressional map, primary date
Amendments to the state budget drawing a potential new congressional map for Virginia passed out of the General Assembly Friday, with only Democrats voting in favor of the bill. HB29 passed 59–35, with five Democratic delegates abstaining. The map would give Democrats an advantage in 10 of Virginia's 11 congressional seats and set an Aug. 4 primary date — moving back the initial primary date of June 16 to accommodate the redistricting timeline.
Justice Department swiftly fires lawyer chosen as top federal prosecutor for Virginia office
A lawyer picked by judges to serve as the top federal prosecutor for a Virginia office that pursued cases against foes of President Donald Trump was swiftly fired Friday by the Justice Department in the latest clash over the appointments of powerful U.S. attorneys. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the firing of James Hundley on social media shortly after he was unanimously chosen by judges to replace former Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. While the law says that the district court may choose U.S. attorneys when an initial appointment expires, the Trump administration has insisted that the power lies only in the hands of the executive branch.
The Virginia Republicans who voted in favor of a legal weed market
Virginia is well on its way to implementing a legal marijuana market, and while there’s more than enough Democrats in favor to pass the law, there have been a few Republicans who have supported the effort so far. “I went back and forth on this bill a number of times. If you see my calendar, it would be ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ ‘yes, ‘no,’ 'yes,' no,'” Brunswick Delegate Otto Wachsmann told Radio IQ on Thursday, explaining his internal back and forth on the House’s legal marijuana market bill. He joined a small cadre of Republicans who voted in favor of the effort. He said limits placed on sales in the bill are better than the unregulated sales the Commonwealth has now.
Relief and refunds: Virginia businesses look beyond Trump tariffs
David Levi has been struggling to survive for the past year at MicroKits LLC, the small electronics business he owns in downtown Charlottesville. But his spirits were soaring on Friday after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the emergency powers that President Donald Trump had claimed to impose sweeping tariffs on imported goods from almost every country in the world. MicroKits, one of the five plaintiffs in one of the lawsuits that led to the Supreme Court ruling, will now be able to grow again.
Virginia state senator pushes for water testing after 243 million-gallon sewage spill in Potomac River
After a decrepit pipe burst in Maryland last month and sent hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage spewing into the Potomac River, a Virginia lawmaker is now urging the state’s health department to take concrete steps to address the environmental disaster’s potential health risks to residents. “This one will trickle down over time, and I’m very worried about the contamination as it goes,” Sen. Richard Stuart, R-King George, said in an interview Friday.
Spanberger signs Virginia Democrats’ proposed congressional map despite ongoing court battle
Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) signed a bill that will allow Virginia voters to weigh in on a controversial mid-decade redistricting proposal in April — if the proposal can survive its ongoing court battle. The evening of Friday, Feb. 20, Spanberger signed the bill containing this new congressional map, which would significantly alter Virginia’s existing congressional districts. Virginia Democrats said that this proposed map — which would favor Democrats for 10 out of 11 seats in Congress — is an attempt to protect democracy after President Donald Trump successfully lobbied several Republican states, such as Texas, to redraw their congressional maps in a way that favors Republicans.
Multiple counties voting to block registrars from holding election until court rules on legality of redistricting
Patrick County and the city of Lynchburg both plan to vote on resolutions to bar their registrars from administering early voting for the redistricting referendum in what former Republican Del. Tim Anderson called an effort to force a court decision ahead of the election. The Patrick County Board of Supervisors plans to vote on the resolution during a special meeting Friday evening, and the Lynchburg City Council is expected to vote on its resolution on Monday. (Update, Friday 10:35 p.m.; the Patrick supervisors adopted the resolution.) They join the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors ... in a movement spreading across the state.
Virginia Cannabis Control Authority launches medical cannabis dashboard
While legislators are pushing for bills to establish framework for creating a retail marijuana market, the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority has launched a new data-driven dashboard, giving the public a look at the commonwealth’s medical cannabis program. The dashboard is now live on the agency’s website, and tracks data from Virginia’s seed-to-sale tracking system. Jessica Fullerton, CCA’s communications officer, said the tool is designed to support transparency and help patients, providers and policymakers make more informed decisions.
Judges in Virginia name new U.S. attorney, then Justice Department fires him
The federal judges in the Eastern District of Virginia unanimously appointed longtime litigator James W. Hundley to serve as interim U.S. attorney on Friday, and the Justice Department almost immediately fired him, continuing a clash over control of one of the country’s highest-profile prosecutor’s offices, which is particularly known for handling significant national security cases. U.S. District Court Chief Judge M. Hannah Lauck issued an order announcing Hundley’s appointment Friday evening. Not long after, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche posted a statement on X.