Tag Archives: Virginia

NBC News reports: The mayor of Fairfax City, Virginia, was arrested early Friday after police say he tried to give methamphetamine to undercover detectives in exchange for sex. Mayor Richard “Scott” Silverthorne, 50, was arrested at a nearby Crowne Plaza Hotel as part of a sting operation, the Fairfax County Police Department said in a news release. He was charged …

Reuters reports: A Virginia school board may temporarily block a transgender student who was born a girl from using the boys’ bathroom while a legal fight over transgender rights proceeds on appeal, the U.S. Supreme Court said on Wednesday. The case is the first time the fight over transgender bathroom rights has reached the Supreme Court. In a brief order, …

Yesterday afternoon Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe attended a welcoming mixer for LGBT delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Watch my video below as McAuliffe proudly notes that his first act in office was to ban discrimination against LGBT state employees. McAuliffe added to great cheering that he was the “first Southern governor” to perform a same-sex marriage.

Via Politico: The Supreme Court has overturned the corruption convictions of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell. The justices ruled that prosecutors defined too broadly the kind of conduct that qualifies as an “official act” public officials are not permitted to trade for gifts or campaign donations. A jury convicted the Virginia Republican on 11 corruption-related felony counts in 2014, including …

Last month the Fourth Circuit Court refused to revisit its ruling, so we knew this was coming. Chris Geidner reports at Buzzfeed: A case challenging the Obama administration’s interpretation of existing civil rights laws as providing protections from discrimination for transgender people will be headed to the Supreme Court this summer. Because the court is soon recessing for the summer, …

Big news via the ACLU: The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit will not rehear the case of a Gloucester County transgender high school student suing his school board over discriminatory bathroom policies. The court today denied the Gloucester County School Board’s request for an en banc review of an April decision which held that Title IX …

From the Daily Caller: A Congressional candidate in Virginia’s 8th District has posted a photo on Twitter that incidentally includes a glimpse of his pornography tastes. Mike Webb initially ran as a Republican for the 8th District seat, which covers Arlington and Alexandria and is considered safely Democratic. He lost the nomination, though, and is now running as an independent, …

From the Wall Street Journal: George Mason University School of Law, named after a founding father known for his refusal to sign the Constitution, is renaming itself after a man famed for a strict adherence to its words: Justice Antonin Scalia. George Mason University’s Board of Visitors, who are appointed by the Virginia governor, voted in favor of the renaming …

BOOM. The Washington Blade reports: Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe on Wednesday vetoed a religious freedom bill that critics said would have allowed anti-LGBT discrimination. McAuliffe said in a statement that Senate Bill 41 is “nothing more than an attempt to stigmatize.” “This legislation is also bad for business and creates roadblocks as we try to build the new Virginia economy,” …

The Virginian-Pilot reports: Legislation that has passed both chambers of the Republican-controlled General Assembly says no minister or religious organization can be penalized for acting in accordance with a belief that marriage should be only between a man and a woman. Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe has promised to veto it. The House of Delegates passed the measure 59-38 on Wednesday. …

The protests apparently worked. From the Richmond Times-Dispatch: Republicans in the Senate and House of Delegates are poised to elect Court of Appeals Judge Stephen R. McCullough of Spotsylvania County to the Supreme Court of Virginia, after former Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli took himself out of the running. “Teiro and I gave serious and prayerful consideration to accepting this honor,” …

Anti-LGBT former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli was yesterday nominated to the Virginia Supreme Court by a state Senate panel. The Washington Blade has some reactions: Equality Virginia, a statewide LGBT advocacy group, on Tuesday noted that the former attorney general in 2008 described the “homosexual agenda” as “something that I believe brings nothing but self-destruction, not only physically but …

So far there have been no surprises, no upsets. Rubio did put up respectable numbers in Virginia, but its looking like he’ll go home empty-handed tonight. Not so, perhaps, for Ted Cruz, who holds a comfortable lead in Texas at this writing. Former Arkansas First Lady Hillary Clinton coasted to an easy win in her former home state, as expected.

Almost immediately after the polls there closed, CNN called the states of Georgia and Virgina for Hillary Clinton. Bernie Sanders is projected to win his home state of Vermont. No surprises so far. Donald Trump currently has a 3-point lead over Marco Rubio in Virginia. UPDATE: CNN has called Georgia for Trump.

Today the Human Rights Campaign, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights will file a joint federal fraud complaint against a Virgina-based ex-gay torture group. Chris Johnson reports at the Washington Blade: The 38-page complaint, obtained in advance by the Blade, is set to be filed before the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and accuses “People …

And yet another big loss for the Liberty Counsel. Via the Washington Blade: A Virginia judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit against the Fairfax County School District’s nondiscrimination policy that includes sexual orientation and gender identity. FCPS Pride, a group that represents LGBT employees of the Fairfax County School District, welcomed the decision from the Fairfax County Circuit Court. “Our …

By a 20-19 vote, today the Virginia Senate approved a bill which allows government employees to refuse to officiate same-sex marriages because Jesus. The bill was sponsored by GOP state Sen. Charles Carrico [photo], who has introduced a slew of other anti-LGBT bills. Democratic Virginia state Sen. Adam Ebbin reacts via press release: Senator Adam P. Ebbin (D-Alexandria) expressed deep …

Brad Kutner of GayRVA, Virginia’s LGBT newspaper, was tipped this weekend about a state lawmaker spotted cruising on Grindr. Rather than publicly outing him for his anti-LGBT voting record, Kutner has published a lengthy open letter to him. A small excerpt: I know you’re obviously not out at work here at the General Assembly, but I have to ask why …

GOP Virginia state Del. Mark Cole wants to see what students have between their legs. Via Crooks & Liars: Cole wins the Creepiest Lawmaker of the Day award for this stunning piece of legislation, requiring that students strictly adhere to designated restroom assignments or risk being fined. The legislation as filed requires that students attending schools designating restrooms for a …

The Associated Press reports: A Republican lawmaker in Virginia is pushing legislation that would allow clerks to refuse to issue licenses for marriages they object to on moral or religious grounds. Republican Sen. Charles Carrico of Galax said many of his constituents were concerned about what happened to Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who spent five days in jail last …