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BREAKING: FCPS wins legal battle over TJ admissions after Supreme Court passes on case

Published February 20, 2024 at 3:00PM

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology’s current admissions policy will remain in place after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to consider a lawsuit alleging that it discriminates against Asian students.

The Supreme Court denied a petition for a hearing today (Tuesday) by the Coalition for TJ, an advocacy group that sued the Fairfax County School Board in 2021 after the admissions process for the highly competitive magnet school was revised with the goal of diversifying the student body.

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Fairfax County judge weighing fate of suit over Youngkin’s carbon market withdrawal

By Charlie Paullin / Virginia Mercury

Published October 31, 2023 at 11:45AM

The Fairfax County Courthouse (file photo)

A Fairfax County judge is weighing whether to throw out a lawsuit from environmental groups challenging Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s effort to remove Virginia from a regional carbon market.

Judge David Oblon heard oral arguments from Virginia Solicitor General Andrew Ferguson and Southern Environmental Law Center Senior Attorney Nate Benforado Friday morning in Fairfax Circuit Court. The hearing, which lasted about 30 minutes, concluded with the judge saying he would take the case under advisement before issuing a written decision.

News

Judge disqualifies Franconia District school board candidate over ballot paperwork

By Angela Woolsey

Published October 26, 2023 at 2:30PM | Updated October 30, 2023 at 11:09AM

Franconia District school board candidate Marcia St. John-Cunning (courtesy Marcia4Schools)

(Updated at 11:10 a.m. on 10/30/2023) The Democratic-endorsed candidate for the Fairfax County School Board’s Franconia District seat has been disqualified due to an error on her petition to get on the ballot.

The Fairfax County Office of Elections has posted a notice on its website informing voters that Marcia St. John-Cunning was disqualified yesterday (Wednesday) by a Fairfax County Circuit Court order. A judge ruled that her petition was invalid because of an error in her address on its front page.

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Va. joins 32 states suing Meta over allegations its social media platforms harm youth

By Meghan McIntyre / Virginia Mercury

Published October 25, 2023 at 11:45AM

Meta owns the social media sites Facebook and Instagram (via Brett Jordan/Unsplash)

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced [on Tuesday] the commonwealth is joining 32 other states in a federal lawsuit against Meta over allegations its social media platforms are purposely harmful to children.

The lawsuit alleges that Meta knew about the extent of the psychological and health harms suffered by young users addicted to its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, but falsely assured the public they are safe and suitable for children and teens.

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FCPS settles lawsuit against Juul over its e-cigarette marketing to teens

By Angela Woolsey

Published September 28, 2023 at 1:15PM

Altria Group's headquarters in Richmond (courtesy Altria Group Inc.)

Fairfax County Public Schools will receive money to support student wellness after settling its portion of a class action lawsuit against the vaping company Juul Labs.

The Fairfax County School Board reached a settlement on Aug. 31 with Altria Group, which owns several tobacco companies — including cigarette maker Philip Morris USA — and has a 35% ownership stake in Juul, FCPS announced on Sept. 19. The news was previously reported by DC News Now.

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Supreme Court asked to take up lawsuit challenging ‘race-neutral’ TJ admissions policy

By Angela Woolsey

Published August 23, 2023 at 11:45AM

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The Coalition for TJ is petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to consider its lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology’s admissions policy, which was revised in 2020 with the goal of diversifying the student body.

In the petition filed Monday (Aug. 21), the advocacy group argues that the changes approved by the Fairfax County School Board discriminate against Asian students, who saw their share of the magnet school’s incoming classes drop from more than 70% to closer to 60% in the past few years.

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Local environmental group joins challenge to Virginia’s withdrawal from carbon-reducing initiative

By Angela Woolsey

Published August 2, 2023 at 3:00PM | Updated August 2, 2023 at 8:52PM

Smoke coming out of a power plant (via Ella Ivanescu/Unsplash)

Several environmental groups, including one based in Fairfax County, have joined forces to challenge Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s decision to pull Virginia out of a cross-state initiative aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

The Southern Environmental Law Center announced on Monday (July 31) that it will appeal Virginia’s planned withdrawal from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a market of 12 states on the East Coast that regulates carbon emissions from power generators.

News

Pimmit Hills residents stage benefit concert to help fund legal fight over Washington Gas pipeline

By Angela Woolsey

Published June 1, 2023 at 10:30AM

Pimmit Hills residents recently held a pizza party to raise funds to cover legal fees from Washington Gas' lawsuit over a planned gas pipeline (photo by Marni Penning)

The Pimmit Hills neighborhood has officially reached the “let’s put on a show” stage of its battle against a planned Washington Gas pipeline.

Faced with escalating legal fees, residents have banded together to stage a “Protect Pimmit Hills Hoedown” benefit concert from 5-7 p.m. on Saturday (June 3) as a fundraiser for four of their neighbors who were sued by the utility company.

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BREAKING: FCPS wins appeal of lawsuit challenging TJ admissions

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 23, 2023 at 1:30PM | Updated May 23, 2023 at 4:20PM

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated at 4:20 p.m.) The current admissions process for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ) does not discriminate against Asian American students, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has ruled.

A majority of the three-judge panel backed the Fairfax County School Board’s argument in support of admissions policy changes intended to increase diversity at the prestigious magnet school, reversing a lower court’s ruling that sided with the Coalition for TJ.

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Fairfax County contests Va. Supreme Court ruling on zMOD even with code readopted

By Fatimah Waseem

Published May 15, 2023 at 11:45AM | Updated May 15, 2023 at 2:24PM

The Fairfax County Government Center (file photo)

(Updated at 2:25 p.m.) Fairfax County officials are hoping to clear up a legal kerfuffle over its zoning ordinance, which was readopted last week after getting voided by the Virginia Supreme Court earlier this year.

Before readopting a modernized version of the zoning ordinance — known as zMod — on May 9, the county filed a petition for a rehearing in the Supreme Court case Berry v. Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.