Norman A. Thomas Recognized by Super Lawyers for 2019I 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 OffenseThe 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 PolOn 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 AppealOn 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 WaOn 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 WithinOn 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, MaAs 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 ConstThe 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 NegligenceIn 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 RoleOn 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 AppealThe 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 StudyThe 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 HeritageOn 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 TitleThe 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 AmeOn 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 InterpretationOn 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 SentencesThe 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...