Norman A. Thomas Recognized by Super Lawyers for 2019
I am pleased to announce that Super Lawyers selected me to join that organization's ranks for 2019 in Appellate Law! I am honored by...
Quest for Clarity: Elements of Proof for Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony Offense
The Court of Appeals of Virginia released a soon-to-be published panel decision on January 8, 2019, in Kimberly Paul Barney v....
Secret v. Commonwealth: The Virginia Supreme Court
Imposes Due Process Limitations Upon
Two-Step Pol
On October 11, 2018, the Virginia Supreme Court unanimously decided Nicholas Charles Secret v. Commonwealth of Virginia, 2018 Va. LEXIS...
Comments on the Virginia Supreme Court’s Proposed New Rules
on Jurisdictional Transfer During Appeal
On September 10, 2018, the Virginia Supreme Court issued a Press Release inviting comments on two proposed procedural rules and...
The SCC’s Broad Powers, Appellate Standards of Review,
and the Regulation of Rates for Water and
Wa
On August 30, 2018, the Virginia Supreme Court issued an instructive and unanimous decision in City of Alexandria v. State Corp. Comm'n,...
Expungement of Criminal Arrest Records:
Clarity in Statutory Interpretation Amidst Dissonance Within
On March 1, 2018, the Virginia Supreme Court issued a soon-to-be published opinion in the case, A.R.A. v. Commonwealth of Virginia, 2018...
"Back to School:" The Supreme Court Instructs On Expert Testimony, Evidence Spoliation, Ma
As its 2017 finale, the Virginia Supreme Court delivered a wide-ranging decision touching upon evidence and procedure in the personal...
Virginia Constitutional Interpretation: The General Assembly’s Plenary Authority and the SCC’s Const
The Virginia Supreme Court issued a published opinion on September 14, 2017 in the case styled, Old Dominion Comm. for Fair Util. Rates...
Medical Malpractice and Misdirected Surgery: Evolving Issues of Consent, Battery and Negligence
In a published opinion issued on July 27, 2017, the Virginia Supreme Court decided a medical malpractice appeal arising from...
Expert Testimony Revisited: Adequate Foundation
and Virginia Courts’ Gatekeeper Role
On April 13, 2017, the Virginia Supreme Court issued a decision reemphasizing the “adequate foundation” requirement for expert testimony...
A Debate Reemerges: The Virginia Supreme Court Splits 4-3 Over
Life Sentence for Juvenile Convicted
On February 2, 2017, the Virginia Supreme Court decided the case of Donte Lamar Jones v. Commonwealth of Virginia, Record No. 131385...
Insult and Injury: The Jury Awards No Damages and the Verdict is Affirmed on Appeal
The Virginia Supreme Court issued a decision on January 19, 2017, affirming a jury’s “zero dollar verdict” in a personal injury case. As...
International Custody Litigation in Virginia’s Courts: A Case Study
The Court of Appeals of Virginia recently issued an interesting panel decision in Coe v. Coe, 66 Va. App
The Law of Land Conveyances, Possibility of Reverter, and Virginia’s Common Law Heritage
On June 23, 2016, the Virginia Supreme Court unanimously reversed the Fairfax County Circuit Court (“trial court”) in the case styled,...
Eminent Domain: Condemnation Damages Waiver in Subdivision Plat Binds Successor in Title
The Virginia Supreme Court handed down a unanimous decision on April 28, 2016, in the case of City of Chesapeake v. Dominion Securityplus...
A Debate within the Virginia Supreme Court: De Facto Life Sentences for Juveniles and the Eighth Ame
On February 12, 2016, the Virginia Supreme Court handed down its decision in two consolidated appeals, Darien Vasquez v. Commonwealth of...
Timber Trespass, and a Modern Primer on Virginia Principles of Statutory Interpretation
On December 30, 2015, the Virginia Supreme Court issued its to-be-published decision in Chacey v. Garvey, 2015 Va. LEXIS 185. The...
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Insurance Under Va. Code §38.2-2206: Simultaneously “Occupying”
On September 17, 2015, the Virginia Supreme Court announced a split-vote decision in the case styled, Bratton v. Selective Ins. Co. of...
Pirates and the Rule of Law: Mandatory Life Sentences
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued a piracy-related opinion on August 13, 2015. The decision in United...
Virginia Appellate Rule Changes Effective July 1, 2015– What’s Now Different?
The first of July each year normally represents the “effective date” of the General Assembly’s newly enacted laws. This year, that date...