Va. Supreme Court to hear Gloucester appeal

Associated Press – 3/31/2010

GLOUCESTER
The Virginia Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of 40 Gloucester County citizens who are appealing a judge’s decision to fine them $2,000 apiece for trying to remove four county supervisors from office.

A lawyer for the group is scheduled to appear before a panel of justices today to ask them to hear the appeal. But attorney Steve Emmert says he was notified Tuesday that the case will be heard anyway.

The case could go before the court as early as September.

The residents circulated petitions in 2008 to have members of the county board of supervisors removed from office after several were indicted on charges of meeting in secret. A judge dismissed the charges and assessed the fines after ruling the residents were politically motivated.