Our complaint has not only been covered by dozens of broadcast, print and digital media outlets but many have editorialized favorably in support of the changes sought by our lawsuit.  In addition, the Department of Justice and the Virginia NAACP have both filed amicus briefs to lend their powerful voices supporting the plaintiffs’ claims.  Below are links to the editorial and organization support the Legal Aid Justice Center has received since filing Stinnie v. Holcomb.

Media Editorials

2016

• December 12      “Virginia’s ham-fisted approach to driver’s license suspension” (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• November 16      “Poverty shouldn’t be a crime” (The Washington Post)
• November 16      “Second look at license suspensions needed”, (The Daily Progress)
• July 22               “Editorial: Can’t pay the fine? License suspended” (The Daily Progress)
• July 20               “Can’t Pay the Fine? License Suspended” (The Free Lance-Star)
• July 13               “Virginia Wages War on the Poor with Driver’s License Suspensions” (The Washington Post)
• July 13               “Burdened by Court Fines” (The Baltimore Sun)
• July 13               “Burdened by Court Fines” (Daily Press)
• July 13               “Burdened by Court Fines” (The Roanoke Times)
• May 12               “Fix Virginia’s Court-Fine System” (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Organizations Supporting the Complaint

U.S. Department of Justice

• November 7        U.S. Department of Justice Statement of Interest
• November 7        News Release:  Justice Department Files Brief to Address Automatic Suspensions of Driver’s Licenses for Failure to Pay Court Debt

Virginia State Conference of the NAACP

• November 3       Stinnie v. Holcomb: Virginia State Conference of NAACP Amicus Brief Opposing Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss
• November 3       News Release:  The Virginia State Conference of the NAACP files amicus curiae brief supporting the Plaintiffs in Stinnie v. Holcomb

Conference of State Court Administrators

Around the time the Legal Aid Justice Center filed its initial complaint in 2016, our work was favorably noted by the Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA).    The COSCA report The End of Debtors’ Prisons: Effective Court Policies for Successful Compliance with Legal Financial Obligations mentioned both LAJC’s Driven Deeper into Debt study and the filing of Stinnie v. Holcomb in July 2016.