Also, thanks Steve, for making this event happen.

2. When will the abuser drivers fee law be revoked?

Answer: Billy- I am forwarding your question to our criminal section, as I have not heard of this sitution prior to this. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

On the broader question of addressing criminal illegal immigration, we have proposed a series of reforms to ensure that those who come here illegally and commit crimes against Virginians, are detained, prosecuted, and deported. Individuals who are in Virginia illegally should not get the benefits of Virginia citizenship. At the same time, the federal government has been largely ineffective at shaping the reforms that are necessary to facilitate legal immigration or in providing the resources needed to enforce the current laws. Thus, we are working to implement common-sense reforms, where authorized under federal law, here in Virginia this session.

As a second-generation grandson of an Irish immigrant, I recognize that we need to continue the great American melting pot for those who want to come here to pursue the American dream: work hard, play by the rules, pay taxes, learn English, assimilate into the culture, and contribute into the economy. When we ignore the reality of approximately 15 million illegal immigrants we undermine the rule of law.

My question to you is why do our Commonwealth Attys have such a hard time prosecuting obscenity (hard core porn)? There is a movie chain in VA that sells and/or rents obscenity and when several CAs were approached to prosecute, they were not willing. Why? This movie chain is BREAKING the state & FEDRERAL law. Were in our state by laws does it say we can prosecute this crime & not this crime? When you were up for election your aide said, that you would fight pornography. What have you done to fight pornography in VA & what are you willing to do if a CA is unwilling to prosecute businesses that flaunt their crimes – the distribution & selling of obscenity?

Answer: While I am not aware of the details of the case that you present, the criminal justice system gives local CAs the authority to prosecute pornography that the General Assembly says is criminal, such as child pornography. Over the last 2 years our top priority has been cracking down on Internet crimes against children, including child pornography. We have given law enforcement more tools to investigate and punish child pornographers, and have begun a statewide education program aimed at parents to improve public safety for children. As the father of 5, I continue to look for ways to protect young people.

Answer: Carol, thanks for the question. Currently our judges are elected by the members of the General Assembly, which has worked reasonably well under our Constitution. Like you, I am concerned about accountability and performance of judges. That is why, 5 years ago, I successfully introduced legislation to create a Judicial Performance Evaluation System, to officially rate judges performance for purposes of reappointment and self-improvement. It is working.

I strongly oppose the election of judges, which would be counter to everything our Founders believed about the nature of judicial power. It was viewed as being the “least dangerous branch” because, as Blackstone noted, its duty was merely to find and declare the law, not set the policy or make law. Unfortunately, and we see this more at the federal level where judges are given lifetime appointments, activist judges have exceeded their judicial authority. This is not a reason to change the system envisioned by our founders, but a rationale to strengthen it with better appointees.