Tim Cywinski and I got coffee and a bagel at Abi’s Books and Brews a couple weeks ago. The Iran War had just started, and the weariness was behind both of our eyes. He impressed on me that he had some fresh ideas, a great legacy of accomplishments, and is in...
Virginia legalized it; mere hours from now, you will legally be able to possess small amounts of marijuana within the commonwealth. But can you legally buy it? Grow it? Well, that's complicated. Let RVA Mag break it down for you. Beginning July 1, 2020, adults in Virginia aged 21 years old or older will be able to legally possess and cultivate...
In the wake of last summer's protests and the pulling down of Confederate monuments around the state, universities within the commonwealth are dealing with the remnants of the Confederacy and of systemic racism that remain on their campuses today. Virginia universities in the former heart of the Confederacy are reckoning with their past as...
Marijuana was originally scheduled to become fully legal in Virginia in 2024, but now Governor Northam has listened to advocates and is now working to move up the timeline, potentially making it legal this summer. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam amended legislation to accelerate the legalization of marijuana possession and home cultivation in the...
Over the course of 15 years in the General Assembly, state Sen. Jennifer McClellan has actively shaped Virginia's political landscape. Now, with her campaign to become Virginia's next governor, she wants to take things to the next level. Sen. Jennifer McClellan is one of 13 candidates vying to become Virginia’s next governor; a state that has...
University of Richmond's School of Law held a six-hour symposium recently about the school-to-prison pipeline and ways students of color are kept at a disadvantage by zero tolerance policies and overpolicing of school grounds. Schools have become places of trauma for students of color and help reinforce centuries of systemic racism by driving...
Thanks to Governor Ralph Northam and the General Assembly, Virginia's long tradition of imposing the death penalty is headed for a permanent end in the near future. We look back at the history to see why this is a positive development for the commonwealth. With Governor Ralph Northam expected to sign a bill that passed through the General...
Where civil rights are concerned, this year's session of Virginia's General Assembly has been a mixed bag: protections for people with disabilities and domestic workers, but no protection against sexual harassment in the workplace. The Virginia General Assembly passed several bills this session expanding employment protections for people with...
Bills abolishing the death penalty within the Commonwealth have passed both houses of the General Assembly, and Governor Ralph Northam has already expressed his support. His signature will make Virginia the 23rd state to abolish the death penalty. Virginia will become the 23rd state to abolish the death penalty after two bills passed both...
The Consumer Data Protection Act would allow Virginians to obtain all data collected about them by companies, as well as to opt out of having their data collected. It has moved forward in both houses of the General Assembly. The General Assembly is advancing legislation that allows Virginia consumers more protection with their online data, though...
