Government & Regulatory Affairs

A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that President Trump’s attempt to bypass Congress and impose sweeping tariffs on foreign products was unlawful. The Trump administration had argued that import duties are necessary to strengthen the U.S. economy, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled 7-4 that the Trump administration went too far when he declared national emergencies to justify tariffs on other countries writing that “it seems unlikely that Congress intended to… grant the President unlimited authority to impose tariffs.” The ruling did not take effect immediately and provided the administration time to appeal to […]

The Governor took legislative action on over 960 bills laid on his desk from the 2025 General Assembly Session, including the budget. Governor Youngkin vetoed nearly 160 bills and made recommendations to just as many. In the budget bill, the Governor made 205 amendments and 8 vetoes. A complete list of the Governor’s amendments to the budget may be read here. The General Assembly will have a Reconvene Session on April 2 to respond to his amendments and vetoes. For bills which the Governor vetoed, the threshold for his veto to be overridden is a 2/3 vote of members present. […]

The Virginia General Assembly Adjourned Sine Die on Saturday, February 22. As the political focus of Virginia shifts to the coming statewide and House of Delegates races, let’s look at significant policy decisions the General Assembly made. Over the coming weeks, Governor Youngkin will take action on the bills sent to his desk. His deadline for action is March 24. The General Assembly will have a Reconvene Session on April 2 to respond to his amendments and vetoes. All laws signed by the Governor will take effect July 1 of this year unless otherwise stated in the legislation. It should […]

Gentry Locke is honored to announce the publication of the first Administrative Law update in the Annual Survey of Virginia Law since 2014. Noah Sullivan was chosen to pen this first update in ten years because of his unique perspectives on administrative law and regulatory issues. Sullivan has practiced administrative law in the private sector and also been “in the room where it happens” in the Virginia Governor’s office. While Virginia administrative law has been stable, Virginia politics have not. The state’s political dynamics have significantly changed in the last ten years. This article predicts that, because of those trends, […]

Tuesday, February 4, was the midway point for the Virginia General Assembly, known as “Crossover.” Each chamber will now only deal with legislation that originated from the other. Over 2,000 bills, constitutional amendments, and joint study resolutions were introduced for consideration. This number has been significantly diminished and will continue to be before the General Assembly adjourns Sine Die on February 22. Below are updates on legislative initiatives previously mentioned in the Pre-Session Report. Artificial Intelligence Over the past year, the Joint Commission on Technology and Science (JCOTS) met to discuss legislation carried over from the 2024 Session. All four […]