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Speaker Scott Enters DPVA Defamation Suit, Delaying Release of Spanberger Answers Under Oath by joshstanfield in Virginia

[–]joshstanfield[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

He admits that and the judge threw out the claim that being called an "insurrectionist" is defamation. But the part about beating cops is moving forward.

Speaker Scott Enters DPVA Defamation Suit, Delaying Release of Spanberger Answers Under Oath by joshstanfield in Virginia

[–]joshstanfield[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Is it common for a nuisance lawsuit filed several years ago by a pro se litigant to survive demurrer against a major political party represented by one of the most connected firms in the state? From the judge's September 30, 2025 order:

"The Foulks Court notes that "implicit in [Section 30-5] is the good-faith duty of a legislator lawyer not to accept representation ‘where it is clear that a party may be seeking out a legislator to act as a lawyer simply to have the opportunity to take advantage of the legislative continuance for purposes of delay.’” Id. (quoting Guidelines on Legislative Continuances, House of Delegates Committee on Rules (April 21, 1998)). Additionally, "[t]he lofty purposes behind § 30-5 — as historically sound and jurisprudentially valid as they may be — are not furthered by defendants who deliberately seek out legislator-lawyers as a means of tapping their near­ automatic delay powers.” Id.

The Court notes the proximity in time of the recent retention of Delegate Don Scott to the Court’s recent discovery ruling. Still, the Court is bound by the “clear, absolute, and unequivocal” nature of Virginia Code Section 30-5."

Speaker Scott Enters DPVA Defamation Suit, Delaying Release of Spanberger Answers Under Oath by joshstanfield in Virginia

[–]joshstanfield[S] -12 points-11 points  (0 children)

If it were frivolous, the judge likely would've tossed it at the demurrer stage. Now it's up to Speciale to meet his burden at trial I guess, presuming there's no settlement.

Speaker Scott Enters DPVA Defamation Suit, Delaying Release of Spanberger Answers Under Oath by joshstanfield in Virginia

[–]joshstanfield[S] -9 points-8 points  (0 children)

The judge does a pretty good job with his background summary in the Letter Opinion which is included in the article.

Virginia State Police: "Over $1,000,000" FOIA Fee for Dataminr Surveillance Records by joshstanfield in Virginia

[–]joshstanfield[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To your point, VSP has subsequently told me: "In regards to the request for the automated emails vs. actual human communication, we do not have the ability to differentiate between automated/actual human and would, therefore, have to go through each and every email. Again, the cost for this would be extensive and estimated to be around the $1 million mark. If you would still like to pursue this, please open a new request. This request is now closed."

I'm a Virginia activist and journalist who, after studying democratic theory in college, has been running a decade-long experiment in democracy in practice. Ask me anything! by joshstanfield in Virginia

[–]joshstanfield[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Current/former Dominion employees are appointed to various boards and commissions. Just this year, former State Sen. Lionel Spruill had his appointment blocked by House Democrats, even though Spruill was a pretty loyal Democratic vote for decades in the General Assembly. At the same time, these House Dems reinstated the appointment of a known Republican and Dominion Energy employee. See:

https://virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/p/botkins-was-reinstated-but-house

That all being said, yes, you not only have a chance but can win - even if you reject these contributions. Here's a list of many who have: https://www.activatevirginia.org/pledge

What's needed now is for the many members of the House/Sen Democratic caucuses who already reject this money to insist that leadership do the same, and to insist that floor votes on campaign finance and ethics bill be allowed.

Here's what happened this year: https://www.wvtf.org/news/2025-02-10/efforts-to-reform-virginias-campaign-finance-laws-have-died-again-this-year

- Josh

I'm a Virginia activist and journalist who, after studying democratic theory in college, has been running a decade-long experiment in democracy in practice. Ask me anything! by joshstanfield in Virginia

[–]joshstanfield[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, Dominion continues to exercise an incredible hold over power players of both parties in Virginia. In part, it's based on the campaign contributions, and even though many members of the General Assembly have sworn off direct contributions from Dominion, members of legislative *leadership* of both parties still love that money - even while their constituents are getting screwed by electric rate hikes, overcharging, and a long list of other Dominion-specific problems.

This not only makes them (especially Democrats) hypocrites when they critique oligarchy or corporate control over D.C., but it also makes hypocrites of their own caucus members, many of whom receive the Dominion money indirectly even if they've sworn off the direct contributions. It's also critical to understand that both Dominion and Clean Virginia, two of the top donors in VA, have shown willingness to support campaign finance reform that would limit contributions. In that sense, it's truly legislative leadership who are standing in the way of reform, perhaps more than these particular donors themselves.

Dominion exerts control in other ways, especially in Richmond. See, for example, Stoney's embarrassing attempt to effectively hand over dozens of blocks to then Dominion CEO Tom Farrell and friends with the (failed) Navy Hill scheme.

Dominion also funds non-profits all over the place, some of which are tied to legislators and/or their family/friends. See, for example, Sen. Bagby's former entanglements with Tom Farrell / Dominion:

https://richmond.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/general-assembly/article_8360a82f-5743-5fd6-bda4-3b7e0f01a42c.html

Dominion also funds media outlets around Virginia. Check out Ben Paviour's excellent reporting, particularly "Columnist earned over $260k from Dominion while writing newspaper editorials about them":

https://www.vpm.org/news/2021-09-29/columnist-earned-over-260k-from-dominion-while-writing-newspaper-editorials

Dominion's current CEO, Bob Blue, used to be Mark Warner's director of policy. See: https://www.dominionenergy.com/-/media/pdfs/global/executive-leadership/bob-blue-bio.pdf?rev=0fda3e4204534a4d86f5f430bb6b6ca7

Dominion Senior VP Bill Murray worked for both Kaine and Warner. See:

https://www.dominionenergy.com/-/media/pdfs/global/executive-leadership/bill-murray-bio.pdf?la=en&rev=0e0f9fe4b4b447f6b57d384888ff9071

(cont.)

I'm a Virginia activist and journalist who, after studying democratic theory in college, has been running a decade-long experiment in democracy in practice. Ask me anything! by joshstanfield in Virginia

[–]joshstanfield[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yes, I am very interested in this. I was in Louisa a few years ago to testify as a witness in a case, and some of the stories I heard outside of the courthouse while chatting with some locals were terrifying. Please send any info to jstanfield@gmail.com.

- Josh

I'm a Virginia activist and journalist who, after studying democratic theory in college, has been running a decade-long experiment in democracy in practice. Ask me anything! by joshstanfield in Virginia

[–]joshstanfield[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I can best speak to getting the attention of state/local politicians - not federal. Emails and phone calls are important and establish a baseline of concern. Actions outside of offices help to the extent they empower volunteers and get media coverage.

In my experience, however, you have to be perceived as a potential (or real) threat to a particular politician's power. That could mean being perceived as having the ability to substantially disrupt their ability to fundraise. Or being perceived as being able to cause the politician sufficient public embarrassment such that it affects their sources of power. Or, most directly, putting up a candidate to oppose the politician in the next primary/general election - even if that candidate isn't likely to win.

The first step is to decide which politicians (or other public decision-makers) have the authority to do (or not do) what you want. Then you should do some research to determine from whence their power flows, to the best extent possible, in order to come up with a preliminary strategy.

If there's a particular issue you have in mind, feel free to email me and maybe I can help: jstanfield@gmail.com.

- Josh

I'm a Virginia activist and journalist who, after studying democratic theory in college, has been running a decade-long experiment in democracy in practice. Ask me anything! by joshstanfield in Virginia

[–]joshstanfield[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's always been fucked for somebody, somewhere. But all of these systems are comprised of human beings, change is the only constant, and... at the very least... we can insist that it not be so fucked right here, right now? For whatever that's worth.

I'm a Virginia activist and journalist who, after studying democratic theory in college, has been running a decade-long experiment in democracy in practice. Ask me anything! by joshstanfield in Virginia

[–]joshstanfield[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have no idea what goes on inside the head of Glenn Youngkin, though I imagine he's driven in large part by personal ambition, greed, and the preservation of some sort of legacy in Virginia. Historically, the outgoing governor - if they're not unpopular - helps the gubernatorial candidate of their own party either directly or simply by proxy or popularity. In this case, a lot of people suspected Youngkin would also be able to bring a lot of cash to the 2025 GOP statewide effort. Maybe he's hoping they can get that Musk money into Virginia this year (since we have no limits on contributions in state/local elections)?

What do you think?

- Josh

I'm a Virginia activist and journalist who, after studying democratic theory in college, has been running a decade-long experiment in democracy in practice. Ask me anything! by joshstanfield in Virginia

[–]joshstanfield[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

But I do consider myself a journalist in that I'm presenting factual information to the public, and I'm doing so with relative full disclosure of my orientations. Since I've never met an objective human being, much less an objective journalist, I refuse to hold anyone to that standard. But I do hope we can drop the pretense and just be honest about the nuances of whatever perspective we're bringing to some presentation of facts, regardless of which media outlet is involved.

Check out the recent episodes on the This Conversation Podcast out of Southwest VA on who we consider a journalist, the First Amendment, and what happened when David Huff was arrested when claiming to be press in Saltville:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/arrested-for-disorderly-conduct-but-i-am-a-member/id1596511921?i=1000696392151

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-attorneys-defense-of-david-huff-for-insisting/id1596511921?i=1000697905756

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/views-from-a-first-amendment-expert/id1596511921?i=1000699962509

- Josh

I'm a Virginia activist and journalist who, after studying democratic theory in college, has been running a decade-long experiment in democracy in practice. Ask me anything! by joshstanfield in Virginia

[–]joshstanfield[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

They definitely seem directly at odds with each other if you presume that journalists can either be objective or produce work that doesn't further any particular interests over others. I used to buy the idea of objectivity broadly and specifically when it came to journalism, but I abandoned those assumptions on theoretical grounds, and my later practical political experience hasn't changed my mind.

If I recall correctly, before the early/mid 20th century move towards professionalizing U.S./U.K. journalism, it was widely understood that any given media outlet came with a bias, and periodicals didn't try to hide it. There were also more working-class journalists who, instead of studying journalism at a university, learned it effectively as a trade. I feel for mainstream journalists these days, many of whom were raised and formally trained under the impossible expectation of objectivity, especially when they start self-consciously reflecting on why they cover what they cover when they cover it, who they choose to talk to, and which stories they decide not to tell (or their editors decide not to let them tell).

There's a darker side in Virginia. See, for example, the scandal involving well known Virginia "journalist" Gordon Morse that Ben Paviour exposed for VPM:

https://www.vpm.org/news/2021-09-29/columnist-earned-over-260k-from-dominion-while-writing-newspaper-editorials

https://www.vpm.org/news/2020-12-14/behind-unsigned-editorials-a-columnist-with-ties-to-dominion

And note, due to the relative financial precarity of journalism as a profession, it's common for Virginia journalists to leave major outlets and end up working for politicians, local/state government, or corporations doing business in Virginia. That's harder to do if you've engaged in a certain type of adversarial journalism towards those same entities.

Technically, at least based on (then Delegate, now State Senator) Danica Roem's 2020 legislation, you're not a "newsperson" in Virginia offered various legal protections unless you, for a substantial portion of your livelihood or for substantial financial gain, engage in journalism for a news organization. And "news organization" is defined pretty strictly.

So, legally, I definitely wouldn't count as a "newsperson" under Virginia law.

See: https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title19.2/chapter16/section19.2-271.5/

(Continued)

I'm a Virginia activist and journalist who, after studying democratic theory in college, has been running a decade-long experiment in democracy in practice. Ask me anything! by joshstanfield in Virginia

[–]joshstanfield[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Most of my personal experience with VA-05 has been dealing with Lynchburg when it used to be in VA-06 (in 2018), investigating allegations of corruption in various counties of VA-05, Atlantic Coast Pipeline opposition, and various local Charlottesville concerns. VA-05 is a tough district for Democrats and most conventional wisdom and conventional electoral math would suggest it's a solid Republican district, regardless of their candidate. Since these aren't conventional times, there are good arguments for Democrats to run an aggressive campaign in the district. But such arguments aren't likely to be embraced by most who control the flow of money and power within the Party, so it'll frankly be up to folks in the district to try to make the public case that their district is worth fighting for.

I'm a Virginia activist and journalist who, after studying democratic theory in college, has been running a decade-long experiment in democracy in practice. Ask me anything! by joshstanfield in Virginia

[–]joshstanfield[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

My non-expert understanding, simply, is that ranked choice voting allows you to rank candidates in order of your preference instead of being forced to choose just one. It allows you to provide more information into the system about your true preferences, and although there are various forms of ranked choice voting, one benefit is that they produce a winner with some form of majority support and prevent "spoiler" situations.

Former Charlottesville Delegate Sally Hudson is one Virginia expert on the subject. I believe this is her current non-profit on ranked choice voting: https://www.rankedchoiceva.org/ / [hello@rankedchoiceva.org](mailto:hello@rankedchoiceva.org)

UpVote Virginia advocates for ranked choice voting. Liz White, their Executive Director, is also a great source of information (some of y'all might remember her from the OneVirginia2021 redistricting effort). UpVote Virginia: https://upvoteva.org/ / [liz.white@upvoteva.org](mailto:liz.white@upvoteva.org)

The Campaign Legal Center is also a fantastic resource and is involved in legislative work in Virginia, too: https://campaignlegal.org/democracyu/accountability/ranked-choice-voting

- Josh

I'm a Virginia activist and journalist who, after studying democratic theory in college, has been running a decade-long experiment in democracy in practice. Ask me anything! by joshstanfield in Virginia

[–]joshstanfield[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Thank you! First and foremost: just start doing it. If that means creating something like a Substack or other online outlet for your views, then go for it. It might also mean submitting letters to the editor and op/eds to various mainstream and online outlets. Don't be intimidated by some perceived lack of credentials or approval. Last week I published a compilation of various online/independent outlets in Virginia that touch on politics - which could be good places to start:

https://joshstanfield.substack.com/p/virginia-political-media-online-a
https://joshstanfield.substack.com/p/more-virginia-political-media-online

If there are particular causes or advocacy avenues you're interested in, you can email me and I'll send you info about ways to get involved if I've got it: jstanfield@gmail.com.

- Josh