Lawmakers are moving forward with a bill that could dramatically change the legal system in Virginia.
Virginia is the only state in the country that does not guarantee a right to appeal court rulings, although the General Assembly is now considering legislation that would change that by adding six new judges to the Court of Appeals. The bill guaranteeing a right of appeal could be a significant milestone in criminal justice reform efforts that began last year.
"This may be the most important bill we're passing this year," says Senator John Edwards, a Democrat from Roanoke who’s the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
"The expansion from 11 to 17 judges still would not put Virginia in the status of having as many judges as most states that have a similar population as Virginia," he explains.
Republicans are calling the proposal a court-packing plan. Republican Senator Mark Obenshain of Rockingham says Democrats want six judges now, but they'll be back later asking for more.
"We heard about states like Massachusetts with 28 judges on their Court of Appeals, other states with 30 plus," says Obenshain. "We're going to be back, and we’re going to be back and we’re going to be back hearing about further expansions of our Court of Appeals."
The Senate approved the bill on a party-line vote sending it over to the House of Delegates.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
