2024 Justice Reform Lobby Day Registration
It’s back! The 2024 General Assembly Legislative Session begins on Wednesday, January 10. This session will be the first held in the new General Assembly building, which was completed earlier this year! We’ve released our official list of priorities. We’ll be advocating to repeal felony assault on law enforcement, to treat substance use as a public health issue and not a criminal legal one, to put guardrails on mass surveillance technology, to eliminate plea bargain waivers for Fourth Amendment rights, to increase compensation for court appointed counsel, to protect and expand the progress made to reform Virginia’s criminal legal system since 2020, and much more. And in annual tradition, we’re excited to be hosting our Justice Reform Lobby Day in Richmond, Virginia on Thursday, January 11, 2024, along with the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (VACDL) and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL)!
What: Justice Reform Lobby Day
When: Thursday, January 11, 2024
Where: Richmond, Virginia
Who: Free and open to anyone interested in advocating for criminal justice reform, not just for lawyers!
How: REGISTRATION REQUIRED—registration deadline extended until January 3, 2024 at 11:59PM.
If you haven’t attended one of Justice Forward Virginia’s lobby days in the past, oh are they ever fun! Truly one of the highlights of our year as an organization, when we all wake up well before sunrise to meet in downtown Richmond, get fired up over bagels and coffee at our morning mixer and debriefing, then head to the General Assembly building in Lobby Day teams for our scheduled meetings with Virginia lawmakers. There’s absolutely no prior lobbying experience required—each Lobby Team will be led by a Lobby Day Team Leader with considerable experience. If you can be available to meet with legislators for part or all of Lobby Day, you are welcome to register.
Ahead of Justice Reform Lobby Day, registrants will receive their Lobby Day Team assignments, detailed information about the issues, the impact of proposed legislation, and why it's important to make the proposed reforms this year. We hope you will register and join us on January 11th!
In annual fashion, Justice Forward Virginia will also be hosting our Annual Virtual Prep Rally to prepare advocates with in depth education and opportunity for discussion about the criminal legal reforms being advocated this year. More information about this separate event, along with an official list of legislative priorities will be published soon.