Law

Lawmakers in the Virginia House approved legislation Wednesday that would require law enforcement officers to render aid to someone who has a life-threatening injury or condition and report to supervisors any misconduct they witnessed from their fellow officers, including bias-based profiling.

Attorney General Mark Herring has authorized Virginia State Police to investigate Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney’s handling of a contract to remove the city’s Confederate monuments.

Virginia Democrats and some Republicans have a range of criminal justice-related issues they plan to tackle during the upcoming legislative session. Most of the proposals are holdovers from 2020 when disagreements between the House and Senate stalled action on key reforms. This year they’ll consider abolishing the death penalty, restoring voting rights for felons, and the automatic expungement of criminal records among other priorities.

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday in an immigration case that originated in Virginia. The crux of the case: whether some undocumented immigrants in federal custody can be released on bond.

The Richmond Police and Sheriff's Office have come under fire for their handling of protests that erupted following the killing of George Floyd while in police custody in Minnesota. Protesters allege they were subjected to strip searchers as punishment after being delivered to the Richmond City Jail.

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in an immigration case that originated in Virginia. The court will decide whether immigrants who illegally entered the country seeking asylum-like protections -- after having already been deported previously -- can ask to be released on bond while they fight their case.

Virginia is sending the state’s National Guard and 200 state troopers to help quell a violent uprising in Washington D.C., where armed supporters of the president have attempted to interrupt the certification of President-elect Joe Biden.

The Virginia State Crime Commission is recommending the General Assembly eliminate every mandatory minimum sentence in the criminal code, ranging from traffic violations to violent felony offenses. It also voted to recommend anyone currently serving a mandatory minimum be eligible for re-sentencing.

The Pocahontas building, where state lawmaker’s offices are located, will remain closed to the public during the upcoming legislative session.

With a new year comes a new law in Virginia banning the use of cellphones behind the wheel.