During the most recent legislative session, the Virginia General Assembly passed a variety of criminal justice reforms. One significant change implemented was in the area of bail and bond. Specifically, the General Assembly repealed the long-standing presumption against bond that existed for many criminal offenses. In practice, this meant that magistrates were not permitted to…
According to the Code of Virginia, any person who uses a computer network, without authority and: Obtains property or services by false pretenses; Embezzles or commits larceny or; Converts the property of another; is guilty of the crime of computer fraud. If the value of the property or services obtained is $1000.00 or more, the…
According to the Code of Virginia, a judge may punish the following behaviors as contempt of court: Misbehavior in the presence of the court, or so near thereto as to obstruct or interrupt the administration of justice; Violence, or threats of violence, to a judge or officer of the court, or to a juror, witness,…
According to the Code of Virginia “whoever…willfully fails to appear before any court or judicial officer as required, shall, after notice to all interested parties, incur a forfeiture of any security which may have been given or pledged for his or her release, unless one of the parties can show good cause for excusing the…
In Virginia, whoever, without authority, with the intention of converting goods or merchandise to his or her own or another’s use without having paid the full purchase price thereof, or of defrauding the owner of the value of the goods or merchandise, (i) willfully conceals or takes possession of the goods or merchandise of any…
There are two types of trial courts at the local level in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Specifically, there are general district courts, which are the lower courts and there are circuit courts, which are the higher trial courts. In particular, there are two types of district courts in Virginia: the General District Courts and the…
If you are convicted of a misdemeanor in a general district court or a juvenile and domestic relations court in Virginia, you must note your appeal to the clerk’s office within ten (10) calendar days from the judgment of the court. Keep in mind that this does not mean that you have ten (10) business…