New Albemarle prosecutor fires deputy

Denise Lunsford was elected Albemarle County commonwealth’s attorney last month, beating four-term incumbent Jim Camblos. As she prepares to take office, she has fired the county deputy commonwealth’s attorney, Richard Moore.

The Daily Progress reports that Moore, who held the job for four years after serving in similar post in Charlottesville for more than eight years, has been given his walking papers. Moore had supported his old boss for reelection.

Lunsford said she will promote one of the other three assistant commonwealth’s attorneys in the office to deputy and hire a replacement for that position.

Two longtime prosecutors defeated

From yesterday's election results...

Two longtime commonwealth's attorneys, one in Caroline County and the other in Albemarle, were defeated by opponents calling for change.

In Caroline, Harvey Latney Jr. has been the top prosecutor for 30 years. But newcomer Tony Spencer got 60 percent of the vote, according to The Free Lance-Star.

And The Daily Progress reports that challenger Denise Lunsford beat four-term incumbent Jim Camblos in the race for Albemarle County commonwealth’s attorney.

Judges file bar complaint against Beach prosecutor

A lawyer might understand a distinction between “illegal conduct” by a judge and a lack of statutory authority for judicial action, but everybody at a Republican breakfast in Virginia Beach on Feb. 3 probably wasn’t a lawyer.

Or maybe it’s a distinction without a difference to Virginia Beach’s nine circuit judges.

The Virginian-Pilot reports that Bryant acknowledged in a news release that he mentioned to the gathering that he was keeping track of instances in which judges act without statutory authority.

But he insisted that he had not accused the judges of illegal conduct.

He said the judges have filed a complaint with the Virginia State Bar that the alleged “illegal conduct” comment violates legal ethics.

Bryant issued the press release after he learned that the newspaper intended to run a story about the controversy and said at the most recent breakfast that he has been praying for the judges since the allegations was made. “Maybe I should have started a long time ago,” he said, according to The Virginian-Pilot. He did not say in the press release what the actions without statutory authority might have been.

A race for Fairfax prosecutor, two NoVa vets get a pass

Ray Morrogh, the longtime deputy prosecutor in Fairfax who hopes to succeed his retiring boss, Bob Horan, filed as expected for the local Democratic nomination for commonwealth’s attorney. But he'll have an opponent this fall: Arlington assistant commonwealth’s attorney Patrick McDade will seek the GOP nod for Fairfax commonwealth’s attorney, reports the Washington Post.

With yesterday’s filing deadlines in Fairfax, Arlington and Prince William County, a pair of veteran prosecutors in the area will get a free pass for another term. In Arlington, Dick Trodden, a Democrat, won’t have a Republican opponent. Trodden said nice things about McDade, who graduated from the George Mason law school in 2004, but he won’t endorse McDade over Morrogh. Democrat Butch Ebert in Prince William likewise won’t have a GOPer running against him.

Republican prosecutor Jim Plowman in Loudoun County doesn’t have a Democrat running against him yet; the Dems in Loudoun have until April 26 to file.

Fairfax prosecutor Horan to quit after 40 years

Fairfax Commonwealth's Attorney Bob Horan announced yesterday that he will call it quits after 40 years on the job. The Washington Post reports that Horan, 74, had been concerned that a gradual hearing loss would affect his performance in the courtroom. Both parties will be scrambling to field candidates before Friday's filing deadline, although Ray Morrogh, Horan's longtime chief deputy, has said he would seek the Dems' nod if his boss did not make another run.

Fairfax prosecutor Horan to retire?

Longtime Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney Bob Horan may retire. Horan, 74, told the Washington Post that he is considering not running for reelection. He has a Friday deadline to decide whether to stand as the Democratic candidate for the position. The local GOP has put up candidates against Horan only twice since 1975. If Horan chooses to retire, his chief deputy, Ray Morrogh, says he is ready to make the race.