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{{Short description|Governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022}}{{distinguish|Ralph Norman}}{{Very long|date=June 2023}}{{Use American English|date=July 2020}}{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}

factoids

| birth_place = Nassawadox, Virginia, U.S.| death_date = | death_place = Democratic Party (United States)>DemocraticPam Northam|1987}}| children = 2Virginia Military Institute (Bachelor of Science>BS)Eastern Virginia Medical School (MD)| signature = Ralph Northam signature.svgUnited States}}United States}}| serviceyears = 1984–1992USAO4-2015Major (United States)>MajorMedical Corps (United States Army)>Army Medical Corps}}Ralph Shearer Northam (born September 13, 1959) is an American physician and politician who served as the 73rd governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022.WEB, Dr. Ralph Northam MD,weblink U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report L.P., February 1, 2018, May 31, 2021,weblink live, A pediatric neurologist by occupation, he was an officer in the U.S. Army Medical Corps from 1984 to 1992. Northam, a member of the Democratic Party, served as the 40th lieutenant governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018 prior to winning the governorship against Republican nominee Ed Gillespie in the 2017 election.NEWS, Martin, Johnathan, Burns, Alexander, Ralph Northam Wins the Virginia Governor's Race,weblink November 8, 2017, The New York Times, November 8, 2017, April 8, 2023,weblink live, Prohibited by the Virginia Constitution from running for a consecutive term, Northam left office in January 2022, succeeded by Republican Glenn Youngkin.WEB, Constitution of Virginia, Article V. Executive, Section 1. Executive power; Governor's term of office,weblink Legislative Information System, May 25, 2022, July 31, 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140731202731weblink">weblink live, NEWS, Paviour, Ben, Pope, Michael, January 15, 2022, Republican Glenn Youngkin is sworn in as the governor of Virginia, en, NPR,weblink May 25, 2022, November 10, 2022,weblink live, As governor, Northam's most notable accomplishments included expanding Medicaid coverage as allowed under the Affordable Care Act, abolishing the death penalty, legalizing marijuana, and raising the minimum wage.NEWS, Northam signs Medicaid expansion into law on steps of Virginia Capitol, en-US, The Washington Post,weblink May 25, 2022, 0190-8286, December 2, 2022,weblink live, NEWS, Virginia Governor Signs Law Abolishing The Death Penalty, A 1st In The South, en, NPR.org,weblink May 25, 2022, December 28, 2022,weblink live, WEB, Oliver, Ned, April 7, 2021, Marijuana will be legal in Virginia on July 1. Here's what is and isn't permitted under the new law.,weblink May 25, 2022, Virginia Mercury, en-US, March 25, 2023,weblink live, WEB, LIS > Bill Tracking > SB7 > 2020 session,weblink May 25, 2022, lis.virginia.gov, January 28, 2023,weblink live, While Governor, Virginia was named CNBC's "best state for business" twice, becoming the only state to be awarded the title two years in a row.WEB, Cohn, Scott, July 13, 2021, Virginia is back as America's Top State for Business in 2021,weblink October 30, 2022, CNBC, en, April 9, 2023,weblink live, Northam also led the state during the COVID-19 pandemic, where he was the only Governor in the United States who was a licensed doctor.{{TOC limit|3}}

Early life, family history, and education

Northam was born in the town of Nassawadox on Virginia's Eastern Shore on September 13, 1959.WEB,weblink live, Emily, Satchell, Meet the candidates: Democrat Ralph Northam, WAVY-TV, May 16, 2017,weblink June 15, 2018, March 21, 2019, WEB,weblink Shreesha, Ghosh, Who Is Ralph Northam? Trump Says Virginia Gubernatorial Candidate Supports MS-13 Gang, International Business Times, October 6, 2017, June 15, 2018, January 2, 2023,weblink live, He and his older brother of two years, Thomas, were raised on a water-side farm, just outside Onancock, Virginia. The family grew a variety of crops and tended livestock on their {{convert|75|acre|ha|adj=on|spell=in}} property.WEB,weblink Kate, Andrews, Son of the Shore, Richmond Magazine, October 16, 2017, June 16, 2018, February 17, 2022,weblink live, As a teenager, Northam worked on a ferry to Tangier Island and as a deckhand on fishing charters; he also worked on a neighbor's farm and as a "stock boy" at Meatland grocery store.NEWS, Harry Minium, Ocean View resident to run for Va. Senate, The Virginian Pilot, March 7, 2007, He and Thomas attended desegregated public schools. Northam graduated from Onancock High School, where his class was predominately African American.NEWS, Jenna, Portnoy,weblink Ralph Northam, Va.'s low-key lieutenant governor, juggles politics and pediatrics, The Washington Post, July 27, 2014, January 6, 2017, November 25, 2022,weblink live, Northam's mother, Nancy B. Shearer, was originally from Washington, D.C. She was a part-time nurse at Northampton-Accomack Memorial Hospital, and her father was a surgeon.WEB,weblink Carol Vaughn, Eastern Shore native Ralph Northam will be the next Virginia governor, DelmarvaNOW.com, November 7, 2017, January 15, 2018, October 16, 2022,weblink live, NEWS, Nancy B. Shearer Wed; Johns Hopkins Graduate is Bride of Wescott Northam,weblink The New York Times, April 29, 1956, September 10, 2017, July 2, 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink Gregory S. Schneider, Ralph Northam: Amid politics of extremes, candidate sticks to mild image, The Roanoke Times, November 4, 2017, June 15, 2018, May 31, 2021,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20210531104120weblink">weblink live, Nancy Shearer died in 2009. Northam's father, Wescott B. Northam, served as a lawyer and is a veteran of World War II; he entered politics in the 1960s, serving three terms as Commonwealth's Attorney for Accomack County, Virginia. After losing election to a fourth term, Wescott Northam was appointed as a Circuit Court judge for Accomack and Northampton counties.NEWS, Schneider, Gregory, The lure of the steady physician: Is Northam's résumé enough in the age of Trump?,weblink February 1, 2018, The Washington Post, October 24, 2017, November 8, 2022,weblink live, Wescott Northam's own father, Thomas Long Northam, had served as a judge in the same court.Thomas Long Northam died when Wescott Northam was only fourteen, and a few years later, the family farm in Modest Town, Virginia, where Wescott had been born, was sold.WEB,weblinkweblink October 29, 2021, live, Patrick, Wilson, Ralph Northam's ancestors owned slaves. He found out only recently., Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 2, 2017, June 16, 2018, The farm had first come into the family through Ralph Northam's great-great-grandfather, James, who along with his son, Levi Jacob, had owned slaves – one of whom, Raymond Northam, was freed to enlist in the 9th Regiment of Colored Troops (Union Army, Civil War). Ralph Northam was unaware of his family's slave-owning history until his father conducted research into their ancestry during the time of Northam's gubernatorial campaign. Upon learning about this part of his family's history, Northam said, "The news that my ancestors owned slaves disturbs and saddens me, but the topic of slavery has always bothered me. My family's complicated story is similar to Virginia's complex history. We're a progressive state, but we once had the largest number of slaves in the union."In high school, Northam was voted "Most Likely to Succeed" and graduated as salutatorian.NEWS, Kevin, Robillard,weblink How Donald Trump Blew Up the Virginia Governor's Race, Politico, April 13, 2017, October 28, 2021, January 15, 2023,weblink live, He was a member of his school's basketball and baseball teams. Northam graduated from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in 1981, where he served as president of VMI's honor court and received a bachelor's degree in biology.WEB,weblink October 28, 2021, Lieutenant Governor: Ralph Northam, The Virginian-Pilot, April 28, 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150428215447weblink">weblink live, NEWS,weblink Full interview transcript: Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, The Washington Post, June 1, 2017, June 14, 2017, May 31, 2021,weblink live, NEWS, Graham, Moomaw,weblink After giving Democrats a brief scare in 2009, Northam says he'd be 'steady hand' as governor, Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 3, 2017, live,weblink June 4, 2017, He became only the second Governor of Virginia to have graduated from VMI, the first since Westmoreland Davis (class of 1877, elected governor in 1917).WEB, Jones, Irisha, November 10, 2017, Ralph Northam second VMI grad elected as Virginia's governor,weblink January 10, 2022, WSLS, en, January 10, 2022,weblink live, Northam went on to Eastern Virginia Medical School, earning his Doctor of Medicine in 1984.

U.S. Army and medical career

From 1984 to 1992 he served as a United States Army medical officer. During his Army service, he completed a pediatric residency at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, followed by a child neurology fellowship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. and Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.WEB, Zagursky, Erin, Virginia's new governor to help celebrate W&M's 325th year,weblink William & Mary, February 1, 2018, February 6, 2023,weblink live, During Operation Desert Storm, he treated evacuated casualties at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.Northam was discharged from the U.S. Army in 1992 at the rank of major, after having completed eight years of service. Since 1992,NEWS, Harry, Minium,weblink Norfolk doctor had key role in state ultrasound debate, Virginian-Pilot, March 11, 2012, live,weblink July 16, 2021, Northam has been a pediatric neurologist at Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia.NEWS, Ralph S., Northam,weblink Children's hospitals offer many advantages, Richmond Times-Disparch, August 8, 2015, live,weblink October 28, 2021,

Early political career

Prior to entering politics, Northam voted for Republican George W. Bush in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, a fact that opponents raised in later Democratic primaries.NEWS, Fenit, Nirappil,weblink October 30, 2021, Northam grilled on campaign finance, Perriello on abortion at progressive forum, The Washington Post, May 3, 2017, December 18, 2019,weblink live, NEWS, Jonathan, Martin,weblink Primary for Virginia Governor Tests Power of an Anti-Trump Campaign, The New York Times, February 26, 2017, October 30, 2021, October 28, 2021,weblink live, Northam says that he was apolitical at the time and regretted those votes, saying: "Politically, there was no question, I was underinformed."

Senate of Virginia (2008–2014)

(File:Ralph Northam 2008-10-28.jpg|thumb|150px|Northam in 2008)Northam first ran for office in 2007 in the 6th Senate district, which includes the Eastern Shore of Virginia; Mathews County, on the Middle Peninsula; and parts of the cities of Norfolk and Virginia Beach. He was unopposed for the Democratic nomination. On November 6, 2007, he defeated Nick Rerras, a two-term Republican incumbent, 17,307 votes to 14,499.Virginia State Board of Elections; Election Results for 2007; November 6, 2007, Election ResultsHe was re-elected in November 2011, defeating Ben Loyola Jr., a defense contractor, 16,606 votes to 12,622.Virginia State Board of Elections; Election Results for 2011; 2011 November Official Election ResultsOne of Northam's first major activities as a state legislator was to lead an effort to pass a ban on smoking in restaurants in Virginia. The bill failed the first time, but it passed the next year and Governor Tim Kaine signed it into law.NEWS,weblink October 30, 2021, Ralph, Northam, Tom, Perriello, Two Democratic hopefuls for Va. governor on schools, Metro and the minimum wage, The Washington Post, June 4, 2017, December 17, 2019,weblink live, NEWS,weblink McAuliffe has change of heart on Confederate statues, The Washington Post, August 16, 2017, Fenit, Nirappil, October 30, 2021, September 5, 2021,weblink live, In 2009, Northam{{snd}}a self-described "conservative on fiscal issues and liberal on social issues"NEWS, Kumar, Anita,weblink Va. Senate Democrats' Edge Little Comfort, The Washington Post, February 21, 2009, October 30, 2021, September 5, 2021,weblink live, {{snd}}was the subject of an attempt by state Senate Republicans to get him to switch parties.NEWS, Linkins, Jason,weblink Jeff Frederick's Twitter Use Foils GOP Virginia Senate Coup, The Huffington Post, March 13, 2009, October 30, 2021, July 19, 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170719143358weblink">weblink live, This action would have given Republicans control of the State Senate, but after news of the imminent switch broke on Twitter, Democrats held a closed-door meeting, and Northam reiterated that he was not leaving the party.NEWS, Payne, Kimball,weblink Northam's Move To Share Power Turns Heads, Hampton Roads Daily Press, February 14, 2009,weblink September 26, 2013, He later said, "I guess it's nice to be wanted, but I'm a Democrat, and that's where I'm staying."WEB, Walker, Julian,weblink State Sen. Northam spurns GOP offer to switch sides, The Virginian-Pilot, November 19, 2011, October 31, 2013, December 23, 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20141223022104weblink">weblink dead,

Lieutenant Governor of Virginia (2014–2018)

File:Terry McAuliffe and Ralph Northam.jpg|thumb|right|Northam ran for lieutenant governor as Terry McAuliffeTerry McAuliffeNortham ran for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia in the 2013 election.NEWS, Vozzella, Laura,weblink Sen. Ralph Northam announces lieutenant governor bid, The Washington Post, December 2, 2012, October 31, 2013, December 17, 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20121217233942weblink">weblink live, Northam competed against U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra for the Democratic nomination.NEWS, Walker, Julian, McAuliffe named Dem governor nominee, 4 others make ballot, The Virginian-Pilot, April 2, 2013,weblink April 3, 2013, May 22, 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130522200121weblink">weblink dead, On June 11, 2013, Northam won the Democratic primary over Chopra with 54% of the vote to Chopra's 46%.NEWS, Pershing, Ben, Whack, Errin, Democrats give nod to Northam, Herring in statewide races, The Washington Post, June 11, 2013,weblink June 12, 2013, March 22, 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130615234832weblink">weblink Virginia State Board of Elections, dead, Democratic Lieutenant Governor primary results, June 15, 2013, On November 5, 2013, Northam was elected as Virginia's 40th Lieutenant Governor over Republican E. W. Jackson, receiving 55% of the vote to Jackson's 45%.WEB,weblink Unofficial Results - General Election - November 5, 2013, November 12, 2013, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20131109041620weblink">weblink November 9, 2013, Northam was the first Democrat since Tim Kaine in 2001 to be elected Lieutenant Governor of Virginia.

Governor of Virginia (2018–2022)

Elections

2017

In February 2015, just over a year into his term as lieutenant governor, Northam confirmed his interest in running for Governor of Virginia in 2017.NEWS,weblink Ralph Northam confirms he's running to become next Va. governor, The Washington Post, Vozzella, Laura, February 24, 2015, March 25, 2015, February 26, 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150226183315weblink">weblink live, NEWS,weblink live, Northam exploring run for governor in 2017, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Nolan, Jim, February 25, 2015,weblink March 25, 2015, February 3, 2021, He made these intentions official on November 17, 2015, via an email to supporters.NEWS,weblink Virginia's lieutenant governor makes it official: He's seeking state's top job, The Washington Post, Vozzella, Laura, November 17, 2015, December 18, 2015, December 22, 2015,weblink live, In the Democratic primary, Northam faced Tom Perriello, who had previously served as a Congressman from Virginia and as a diplomat in the Obama administration.NEWS,weblink Clare, Foran, June 13, 2017, A Fight for the Soul of the Democratic Party in Virginia, The Atlantic, November 3, 2017, November 7, 2017,weblink live, NEWS,weblink Fenit Nirappil, Gregory S. Schneider, Laura Vozzella, Virginia gubernatorial candidates make final pitches before Tuesday's primary, The Washington Post, June 11, 2017, February 8, 2019, February 7, 2019,weblink live, The primary campaign was often described as a proxy battle between the Bernie Sanders/Elizabeth Warren wing of the Democratic Party, represented by Perriello, and the Hillary Clinton wing, represented by Northam, although this take was dismissed as little more than a "talking point" by The Washington Post{{'}}s editorial board, which praised both candidates and wrote, "the policy differences between the two, though real, are not enormous".NEWS,weblink The Washington Post editorial board, The Post's endorsements in Virginia's gubernatorial primaries, The Washington Post, June 6, 2017, February 7, 2019, February 9, 2019,weblink live, The Washington Post endorsed Northam primarily on the basis of his "experience" and "temperament". In its endorsement, the publication explained that the next governor would likely have to work with a Republican-controlled legislature and wrote,{{blockquote|"If any Democratic governor can nudge GOP majorities in his direction, it's Mr. Northam. That matters in a state where governors, barred from running for consecutive terms, have one brief shot at getting things done."}}On June 13, 2017, Northam won the Democratic nomination with 56% of the vote to Perriello's 44%.NEWS,weblink June 14, 2017, October 30, 2017, Virginia Primary Results: Northam Will Face Gillespie in Governor's Race, The New York Times, November 17, 2017,weblink live, In the general election, Northam faced Ed Gillespie, who had previously served as Counselor to the President under George W. Bush, chair of the Republican National Committee, and chair of the Republican Party of Virginia.WEB,weblink live, Patrick Wilson, Republican Ed Gillespie: A Reagan conservative tries to appeal and prevail in the age of Trump, Richmond Times-Dispatch, November 4, 2017,weblink February 8, 2019, May 31, 2021, NEWS,weblink Fenit Nirappil, George W. Bush coming to Virginia to raise money for Ed Gillespie, The Washington Post, September 29, 2017, February 8, 2019, April 2, 2019,weblink live, Northam's campaign funds were heavily depleted by the end of the primary race. He was left with around $1.75 million, which amounted to roughly half of Gillespie's remaining funds.WEB,weblink Gregory S. Schneider, Candidates hit the airwaves in Virginia's race for governor, The Roanoke Times, August 10, 2017, August 16, 2017, June 2, 2021,weblink live, Northam quickly gained the advantage however – by the end of the summer, his available funds had grown twice as large as Gillespie's, with two months left in the campaign. Northam led Gillespie among small donors, as well: "5,900 donations under $100 to Gillespie's 2,100."NEWS, Democrat has twice the cash of opponent in Va. governor's race,weblink Nirappil, Fenit, September 16, 2017, The Washington Post, October 7, 2017, October 10, 2017,weblink live, In October 2017, the Northam campaign released a small number of flyers omitting Northam's running-mate for lieutenant governor, Justin Fairfax. These were released at the request of Laborers' International Union of North America, which had endorsed only part of that year's Democratic ticket. Northam and that year's Democratic nominee for Attorney General, Mark Herring, were both endorsed by LIUNA and were both included on the flyer. LIUNA withheld its endorsement from Fairfax and explained that Fairfax opposes the construction of natural gas pipelines that are favored by the organization. As Fairfax is black, while Northam and Herring are both white, some activists criticized the decision to accommodate LIUNA's request. All houses that received the LIUNA flyers also received standard campaign flyers including Fairfax.NEWS, Wilson, Patrick, Gubernatorial candidate Ralph Northam campaign flier removes picture of LG candidate Justin Fairfax,weblink October 18, 2017, live, October 21, 2017, Richmond Times-Dispatch,weblink October 18, 2017, NEWS, Nirappil, Fenit, Black Democrat omitted from some Democratic campaign fliers in Virginia,weblink October 21, 2017, The Washington Post, October 19, 2017, October 20, 2017,weblink live, During the campaign, Gillespie and President Donald Trump accused Northam of being responsible for the increased activities of the MS-13 gangs and of being "in favor of sanctuary cities that let dangerous illegal immigrants back on the streets."NEWS,weblink Trump backs Republican for Va. governor, accuses the Democrat of enabling 'violent MS-13 killer gangs', Nirappil, Fenit, October 6, 2017, The Washington Post, October 7, 2017, 0190-8286, September 30, 2020,weblink live, Gillespie and Trump said that Northam had been the deciding vote to stop a Republican bill in the state Senate which would have banned sanctuary cities and that this contributed to the surge in MS-13 violence; a notion that FactCheck.org found to be "misleading".NEWS,weblink D'Angelo, Gore, Ed Gillespie's 'Sanctuary Cities' Attacks, September 26, 2017, FactCheck.org, Annenberg Public Policy Center, October 30, 2021, October 30, 2021,weblink live, The Washington Post and CNN noted that there are no actual sanctuary cities in Virginia.NEWS,weblink October 6, 2017, Why Trump is linking the MS-13 gang to the Virginia governor's race, Eric Bradner, CNN, October 7, 2017, October 7, 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171007023619weblink">weblink live, Gillespie himself acknowledged that Virginia did not have sanctuary cities. The Washington Post furthermore noted that there is no evidence that sanctuary cities increase crime or gang activity,NEWS,weblink Republicans in Virginia and nationwide are using 'sanctuary cities' as a weapon against Democrats, Weigel, David, David Weigel, November 2, 2017, The Washington Post, November 4, 2017, Vozzella, Laura, 0190-8286, December 27, 2019,weblink live, and that Virginia communities with higher immigrant populations have lower crime rates.NEWS,weblink GMU report gives context to Gillespie's MS-13 attack ads in Va. governor's race, Olivo, Antonio, November 3, 2017, The Washington Post, November 5, 2017, 0190-8286, November 4, 2017,weblink live, Later that month, the Latino Victory Fund, which was supporting Northam's campaign, released an ad in which a pickup truck, adorned with a Gillespie bumper sticker, a "Don't tread on me" license plate, and a Confederate flag, chases down minority children and corners them in an alley{{snd}}one of the children in the ad then wakes up, revealing the scene to have been a nightmare.NEWS,weblink White House knocks 'political racism' after ad against Virginia Republican, The Hill, Rafael, Bernal, October 31, 2017, October 28, 2021, October 28, 2021,weblink live, NEWS,weblink October 30, 2017, 'Latino Victory Fund' Ad Depicts Ed Gillespie Supporter Terrorizing Minority Children, RealClearPolitics, Tim, Hains, November 1, 2017, October 31, 2017,weblink live, Although Northam and his campaign were not involved with the ad, Northam initially defended it, saying Gillespie's own ads "have promoted fearmongering, hatred, bigotry, racial divisiveness," and adding, "I mean, it's upset a lot of communities, and they have the right to express their views as well."NEWS,weblink Ed O'Keefe, Gregory S. Schneider, Fenit Nirappil, New anti-Gillespie ad sparked by worries about Northam's appeal to minorities, The Washington Post, October 31, 2017, November 3, 2017, November 2, 2017,weblink live, The ad was pulled the following day in the hours after the terrorist attack in New York City, in which a man killed several people by running them over with a truck.NEWS,weblink Political attack ad showing kids running from Republican pickup truck driver is pulled after New York terror attack, New York Daily News, November 1, 2017, Jessica, Chia,weblink November 1, 2017, Northam then distanced himself from the ad, re-emphasizing that it was not released by his campaign and saying that it is not one that he would have chosen to run.NEWS,weblink 10 On Your Side talks with candidates for Virginia governor, WAVY-TV, November 1, 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171101211948weblink">weblink November 1, 2017, A spokesman for the campaign said that the Latino Victory Fund's decision to pull the ad was "appropriate and the right thing to do." FOX 5 DC reported that the Northam campaign had accepted $62,000 as an in-kind media contribution from the Latino Victory Fund.NEWS,weblink Records show financial connection between Northam campaign and group behind controversial ad, WTTG-TV, November 2, 2017, Tom, Fitzgerald, October 28, 2021, October 28, 2021,weblink live, During the final week of the campaign, Northam stated that he would continue opposing a preemptive ban on sanctuary cities in Virginia, as he had done while serving in the lieutenant governor position, although he also stated that if any sanctuary cities emerged in Virginia, he would support banning them. In response, the progressive group Democracy for America stated that it stopped direct aid of Northam's campaign.NEWS,weblink Josh, Delk, November 2, 2017, Progressive group ends 'direct aid' to Northam, The Hill, October 28, 2021, October 28, 2021,weblink live, Howard Dean, who founded Democracy for America, but left the organization in 2016, wrote on Twitter that the organization had discredited itself and called its decision to stop aiding Northam's campaign "incredibly stupid".WEB,weblink Nicole Gaudiano, Progressive Group Pulls Aid to Virginia's Democratic Candidate for Governor Over 'Gutless' Position, USA Today, November 3, 2017, November 4, 2017, November 3, 2017,weblink live, Democracy for America had already stopped collecting data for Northam and had ceased mentioning him in get-out-the-vote calls, due to the Northam campaign's decision to release LiUNA's flyers omitting Justin Fairfax.NEWS,weblink Lisa, Hagen, November 4, 2017, Progressives fume as Northam stumbles in Va., The Hill, October 28, 2021, October 28, 2021,weblink live, NEWS,weblink October 30, 2021, Sanctuary cities flip-flop costly for Virginia Dem Ralph Northam, Fox News, November 3, 2017, October 30, 2021,weblink live, (File:Ralph Northam meeting with volunteers in Blacksburg, VA (2017).jpg|thumb|Northam meeting with volunteers in Blacksburg, Virginia, in 2017)Northam held campaign rallies with former President Barack ObamaNEWS,weblink October 19, 2017, October 28, 2021, Fenit, Nirappil, Gregory S., Schneider, Obama back on campaign trail to rally for Ralph Northam in Richmond, The Washington Post, September 24, 2021,weblink live, and former Vice President Joe Biden during the general election campaign.NEWS,weblink Former Vice President Biden campaigns for Ralph Northam in roundtable discussion, WSET, The Associated Press, October 28, 2021, October 28, 2021,weblink live, According to The Washington Post, while campaigning for governor, Northam owned stock in several companies "doing extensive work in Virginia". Northam stated during the campaign that if elected governor, he would place his financial investments into a blind trust, so as to avoid any potential conflicts of interest.According to a November 3, 2017, report by the Virginia Public Access Project, Northam raised $33.8 million to Gillespie's $24.5 million.WEB,weblink VPAP – 2017 Governor, Virginia Public Access Project, November 3, 2017, December 16, 2021,weblink live, Northam was elected 73rd Governor of Virginia on November 7, 2017, defeating Ed Gillespie in the general election with a larger-than-expected nine-point margin of victory.TWEET, AP, 928067758314672128, November 8, 2017, Breaking: Democrat Ralph Northam wins Virginia's hard-fought race for governor. @AP race call at 8:12 p.m. EST. #Election2017 #APracecall, The Associated Press,

Tenure

Inauguration and cabinet appointees

Northam was sworn in as Governor of Virginia at noon on January 13, 2018, at the State Capitol.NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Fenit Nirappil, Gregory S. Schneider, Fiddlers, native Americans and a champion oyster shucker salute new Va. governor, The Washington Post, January 13, 2018, January 15, 2018, January 14, 2018,weblink live, He became the second Eastern Shore native to serve as Governor of Virginia, after Henry A. Wise (who was elected in 1855)WEB,weblink Carol Vaughn, Virginia Governor-elect Ralph Northam talks Shore roots, priorities for rural Virginia, DelmarvaNOW.com, December 14, 2017, January 15, 2018, November 21, 2018,weblink live, and the second alumnus of Virginia Military Institute to serve as governor, after Westmoreland Davis (who was elected in 1917). A majority of Northam's cabinet-level officials were female, a first in Virginia history.NEWS,weblink Fenit Nirrapil, Ralph Northam assembles a majority-female Cabinet, a first for Virginia, The Washington Post, January 11, 2018, January 13, 2018, Residents from every county in Virginia attended Northam's inauguration (which reportedly marked another first for the state)NEWS,weblink Gregory S. Schneider, Helicopters and oysters: Richmond prepares for Northam's inauguration, The Washington Post, January 12, 2018, January 15, 2018, January 15, 2018,weblink live, WEB,weblink Evanne Armour, Watch: Inauguration of Virginia's 73rd governor, WJHL-TV, January 13, 2018, January 15, 2018, January 16, 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180116081222weblink">weblink dead, and twenty-six groups participated in the inaugural parade, which was described as the largest and most diverse in state history.NEWS, live,weblink Editorial: Northam gives the inaugural address Virginia – and the nation – needs, The Roanoke Times, January 14, 2018,weblink January 15, 2018, August 9, 2018, Leading up to his inauguration, Northam announced that he would establish a new cabinet-level position, Chief Workforce Advisor, which would be responsible for coordinating the state's workforce development programs.WEB,weblink Michael Martz, Northam names Megan Healy as first Cabinet-level adviser on workforce development, Richmond Times Dispatch, January 3, 2018, September 13, 2020, July 31, 2020,weblink live, To fill the position, Northam appointed Megan Healy, who had previously served as assistant vice chancellor for academic services and employer partnerships at the Virginia Community College System and as the director of STEM-H during the McAuliffe administration.NEWS,weblink Sarah Halzack, To create a pipeline of STEM workers in Virginia, program starts with littlest learners, The Washington Post, April 6, 2014, September 13, 2020, January 31, 2019,weblink live, Healy's husband served on Northam's transition team.

Response to Shenandoah Valley Juvenile Center lawsuit

In June 2018, six months into Northam's governorship, a class action lawsuit was publicly disclosed, which had been filed the previous October, claiming that Latino teenage detainees at the Shenandoah Valley Juvenile Center had been physically abused by staff members there. Most of the plaintiffs were being held at the facility on immigration charges. The abuse described in the lawsuit was alleged to have occurred from 2015 through 2018. The Shenandoah Valley Juvenile Center denied all claims in the lawsuit, while Northam called the allegations "disturbing" and directed state agencies to conduct an investigation.NEWS,weblink Michael Bieseker, Jake Pearson, Garance Burke, Governor orders probe of abuse claims by immigrant children, The Associated Press, June 21, 2018, October 3, 2018, October 10, 2018,weblink live, NEWS,weblink Gregory S. Schneider, Virginia governor calls for probe into abuse allegations at facility that holds immigrant teens, The Washington Post, June 21, 2018, October 3, 2018, November 6, 2018,weblink live, Around two months later, the investigation concluded with no findings of ongoing abuse. Allegations of past abuse were not included within the scope of the investigation, and the lawsuit is still pending. The investigation resulted in the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice presenting the Shenandoah Valley Juvenile Center with recommendations for new practices, such as improved training for facility staff members. Northam urged the juvenile center to adopt these recommendations, and the center responded with plans to do so.NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Va. probe finds no evidence of abuse at facility for young immigrant detainees, The Washington Post, August 13, 2018, October 3, 2018, September 2, 2018,weblink live, As youth held in Virginia facilities on immigration charges are there through outside contracts with the federal government, the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice lacked oversight of these youth when the investigation began. In September of that year, the department expanded its authority to include oversight of youth held through any outside contract in Virginia facilities.WEB,weblink Laura Peters, State expands oversight into juvenile facilities, The News Leader, September 6, 2018, February 16, 2019, WEB,weblink WHSV newsroom, Virginia officials expand oversight of youth at Shenandoah Valley Juvenile Center, WHSV-TV, September 6, 2018, February 16, 2019, February 16, 2019,weblink live,

Yearbook discoveries and apology for blackface

{{see also|2019 Virginia political crisis}}(File:Ralph Northam yearbook page with Klan robe and blackface.png|thumb|Photograph from Northam's page in his medical school yearbook)On February 1, 2019, images from Northam's medical school yearbook were published on the far-right website Big League Politics.NEWS, Gabriel, Trip, Michael M., Grynbaum,weblink With Northam Picture, Obscure Publication Plays Big Role in Virginia Politics, The New York Times, February 4, 2019, February 10, 2019, February 10, 2019,weblink live, NEWS, Farhi, Paul, A tip from a 'concerned citizen' helps a reporter land the scoop of a lifetime,weblink The Washington Post, February 3, 2019, February 3, 2019, February 3, 2019,weblink live, WEB,weblink Dareh Gregorian, Hallie Jackson, Va. Gov. Northam's yearbook pic of men in blackface, Klan robe spurs calls for his resignation, NBCNews.com, February 2, 2019, February 15, 2019, February 13, 2019,weblink live, The photos showed an image of an unidentified person in blackface and an unidentified person in a Ku Klux Klan hood on Northam's page in the yearbook.NEWS,weblink Gov. Ralph Northam 'deeply sorry' after photo emerges from his 1984 yearbook showing blackface, KKK hood, Vozzella, Laura, Morrison, Jim, Schneider, Gregory S., February 1, 2019, The Washington Post, February 1, 2019, February 1, 2019,weblink live, NEWS,weblink Gordon, Rago, Marie, Albiges, live, Ralph Northam yearbook page shows men in blackface and KKK robe, February 1, 2019, Virginian-Pilot,weblink February 1, 2019, February 1, 2019, NEWS,weblink Virginia governor's yearbook page shows 2 people in blackface, KKK garb, Kelly, Caroline, February 1, 2019, CNN, February 1, 2019, February 1, 2019,weblink live, A spokesman for Eastern Virginia Medical School confirmed that the image appeared in its 1984 yearbook. Shortly after the news broke, Northam apologized for appearing in the photoNEWS,weblink Teta, Alim, October 30, 2021, February 1, 2019, Virginia governor confirms 1984 yearbook page with racist imagery, The Associated Press, WTOP, September 16, 2021,weblink live, and issued a statement saying:{{blockquote|Earlier today, a website published a photograph of me from my 1984 medical school yearbook in a costume that is clearly racist and offensive. I am deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now. This behavior is not in keeping with who I am today and the values I have fought for throughout my career in the military, in medicine, and in public service. But I want to be clear, I understand how this decision shakes Virginians’ faith in that commitment. I recognize that it will take time and serious effort to heal the damage this conduct has caused. I am ready to do that important work. The first step is to offer my sincerest apology and to state my absolute commitment to living up to the expectations Virginians set for me when they elected me to be their Governor.NEWS,weblink live, February 1, 2019, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam: 'I am deeply sorry for the decision I made', Richmond Times-Dispatch,weblink 2019-02-02, NEWS,weblink February 1, 2019, Gov. Ralph Northam 'deeply sorry' for blackface, KKK robe yearbook photo, WTVR, October 28, 2021, October 28, 2021,weblink live, }}Prior to issuing his apology, Northam had privately reacted in confusion to the photo and told several people that he did not believe that he was either of the men depicted in the photo.NEWS,weblink Gregory S. Schneider, Laura Vozzella, 'This isn't me': Gov. Northam's defiance caught advisers off guard, The Washington Post, February 5, 2019, February 6, 2019, December 22, 2022,weblink live, Early that evening, he had also told Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax that although he had no recollection of the photo, he considered it a possibility that he was one of the two men depicted.NEWS,weblink Gregory S. Schneider, Laura Vozzella, Fairfax was preparing to be Va. governor. Then Northam said he was staying put., The Washington Post, February 2, 2019, February 6, 2019, February 5, 2019,weblink live, NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Gregory S. Schneider, Gov. Northam refuses to step down, despite flood of calls for his resignation over racist photo, The Washington Post, February 2, 2019, February 6, 2019, February 5, 2019,weblink live, According to The Washington Post, "two people familiar with the events of that evening" said that Northam "decided to take the blame" for the photo due to the pressure on him to issue a statement, even though at the time, Northam was still confused about the photo's origins.Two days earlier on January 30, Northam had made controversial comments about abortion during a WTOP interview about the Repeal Act, where he stated that if a severely deformed or otherwise non-viable fetus was born after an unsuccessful abortion attempt, "the infant would be resuscitated if that's what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother."NEWS,weblink Gregory S. Schneider, Laura Vozzella, Abortion bill draws GOP outrage against Va. Gov. Northam, Democratic legislators, The Washington Post, January 30, 2019, January 31, 2019, January 31, 2019,weblink live, Conservative politicians and media figures characterized Northam's comments as promoting infanticide.NEWS,weblink Alan Suderman, Virginia abortion feud erupts; governor blasted for comments, The Associated Press, January 30, 2019, May 31, 2019, May 31, 2019,weblink live, After the yearbook photo was publicized, many conservative media outlets compared the two controversies and described them as a "bad week" for the governor.NEWS, Vespa, Matt,weblink It's Him: VA Gov Northam Apologizes For Racist Costume In Med School Yearbook Photo, Townhall, February 1, 2019, February 3, 2019, February 3, 2019,weblink live, NEWS, Pappas, Alex,weblink Ralph Northam apologizes for medical school yearbook photo with blackface, KKK robe, Fox News, February 2, 2019, February 3, 2019, February 3, 2019,weblink live, According to The Washington Post, the photo was sent as a tip to Big League Politics, the website that first published the photo on February 1, by one or more medical school classmates who were concerned about Northam's abortion comments.The Virginia Senate's Democratic leader, Dick Saslaw, was among the few politicians who initially defended Northam,NEWS,weblink Dylan, Scott, February 2, 2019, October 30, 2021, Virginia governor's 1984 yearbook page features people in blackface and KKK hood, Vox.com, February 12, 2022,weblink live, but later joined with the rest of his caucus in calling for Northam's resignation.NEWS, Khatami, Elham,weblink Dick Saslaw was the lone VA Democrat to rush to Northam's defense. It could cost him re-election., ThinkProgress, February 3, 2019, February 3, 2019, February 3, 2019,weblink live, Most other prominent Virginia politicians, including former governor Terry McAuliffe, under whom Northam served as lieutenant governor,TWEET, 1091547316887142400, TerryMcAuliffe, Terry McAuliffe, February 1, 2019, The situation that he has put himself and the Commonwealth of Virginia in is untenable. It's time for Ralph to step down, and for the Commonwealth to move forward., the Speaker of the House of Delegates,NEWS, Campbell Robertson, 'It Just Went Poof': The Strange Aftermath of Virginia's Cascade of Political Scandals,weblink April 3, 2019, The New York Times, April 2, 2019, the speaker of the House, Delegate Kirk Cox, who'd declared that Mr. Northam's “ability to lead and govern is permanently impaired.”, April 2, 2019,weblink live, the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus,TWEET, 1091545949716004864, VaBlackCaucus, February 1, 2019, The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus Demands Governor Northam Resigns, senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner in a joint statement with Rep. Bobby Scott,NEWS,weblink February 2, 2019, Warner, Kaine, Scott call on Northam to resign, Richmond Times-Dispatch,weblink February 3, 2019, live, former Governor Douglas Wilder,WEB, Tatum, Sophie, February 3, 2019, Here's who has called for Ralph Northam's resignation,weblink January 15, 2022, CNN, en, January 15, 2022,weblink live, and both the Republican Party of Virginia and Democratic Party of Virginia, called on him to resign.WEB,weblink Virginia Democrats no longer support Northam; Demand his immediate resignation, February 2, 2019, February 2, 2019, Democratic Party of Virginia, February 6, 2019,weblink live, NEWS,weblink Tal, Axelrod, February 1, 2019, Virginia GOP calls for Northam to resign if he's in photo in blackface or KKK robe, The Hill, February 1, 2019, February 2, 2019,weblink live, NEWS,weblink Patrick, Wilson, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam admits he posed in yearbook photo showing men in blackface, Klan robe, Richmond Times-Dispatch,weblink February 2, 2019, February 2, 2019, Derrick Johnson, the president and CEO of the NAACP; Planned Parenthood; and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy similarly called for Northam's resignation.WEB, Hayes, Louie Villalobos and Christal, Biden, NAACP, more: Calls for Gov. Ralph Northam to resign persist for second day,weblink January 15, 2022, USA TODAY, en-US, January 15, 2022,weblink live, President Donald Trump decried the photo, as well as Northam's earlier comments on abortion, as "unforgivable".NEWS, Porter, Tom,weblink Trump Describes Northam KKK Pic as 'Unforgivable,' And Slams Virginia Governor for Abortion Comment, Newsweek, February 3, 2019, February 3, 2019, February 3, 2019,weblink live, Several prominent national Republicans, such as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Republican National Committee chair Ronna Romney McDaniel joined in calling for Northam's resignation.TWEET, McCarthy, Kevin, GOPLeader, 1091747456709287936, VA Governor Ralph Northam's past racist behavior caps a week where he displayed an egregious lack of respect for human dignity and the American values that we fight every day to uphold. Staying in office only poisons efforts to grow together as one nation. He should resign., February 2, 2019, TWEET, McDaniel, Ronna, GOPChairwoman, 1091775006512685056, Democrat Gov. Ralph Northam's past: 1981: You had a racist nickname in your college yearbook. 1984: Pictures appear in your medical school yearbook of you in either blackface or a KKK robe. 2013: After a debate, you refuse to shake your African American opponent's hand., TWEET, McDaniel, Ronna, GOPChairwoman, 1091775258263207937, 2017: You edited out your African American running mate Justin Fairfax's photo from your campaign fliers. Now you're clearly lying about your racist past to save yourself. Republicans and Democrats agree, Ralph Northam, you must resign., February 2, 2019, Major national Democratic officials also called for Northam to step down, including 2020 presidential candidates Tulsi Gabbard, John Delaney, Pete Buttigieg, Julian Castro, Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris,WEB,weblink Harris calls on Northam to resign over KKK, blackface yearbook photo, The Hill, Daugherty, Owen, February 1, 2019, February 1, 2019, February 2, 2019,weblink live, WEB,weblink Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and others call on Virginia governor to quit over KKK photo, Finnegan, Michael, Barabak, Mark Z., February 1, 2019, Los Angeles Times, February 2, 2019, February 2, 2019,weblink live, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Governors Association,TWEET, 1091741112778346507, speakerpelosi, The photo is racist and contrary to fundamental American values. I join my colleagues in Virginia calling on Governor Northam to do the right thing so that the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia can heal and move forward., February 2, 2019, Pelosi, Nancy, TWEET, 1091780669808828417, sahilkapur, Kapur, Sahil, February 2, 2019, Democratic Governors Association calls on Ralph Northam to resign., former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,TWEET, 1091890761900179456, HillaryClinton, Clinton, Hillary, February 2, 2019, This has gone on too long. There is nothing to debate. He must resign., Senator Bernie Sanders,NEWS,weblink Tal, Axelrod, Bernie Sanders: Northam should resign so Virginia can 'begin a new day', The Hill, February 4, 2019, February 2, 2019, February 4, 2019,weblink live, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and former Vice President of the United States Joe Biden.TWEET, 1091713905540456448, NBCpolitics, Just In: Former VP and potential 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden: "There is no place for racism in America. Governor Northam has lost all moral authority and should resign immediately, Justin Fairfax is the leader Virginia needs now.", February 2, 2019, Faced with increasing calls for his resignation from fellow Democrats, Northam reportedly considered leaving the Democratic Party and trying to hold on to the governorship as an independent.NEWS,weblink 'This isn't me': Gov. Northam's defiance caught advisers off guard, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Gregory S., Schneider, Laura, Vozzella, February 6, 2019, October 28, 2021, October 28, 2021,weblink live, NEWS,weblink February 6, 2019, Katelyn, Caralle, Ralph Northam mulls leaving Democratic Party to hold onto governor's seat, Washington Examiner, February 6, 2019, February 6, 2019,weblink live, (File:Ralph Northam "Coonman".png|thumb|Northam's 1981 VMI yearbook photograph included the nicknames "Goose" and "Coonman")After issuing his apology and as pressure mounted for his resignation, Northam called friends and family to determine whether the photo actually depicts him.NEWS,weblink Ralph Northam Resists Calls to Resign as Virginia Governor Over Racist Yearbook Photo, Martin, Jonathan, February 2, 2019, The New York Times, February 2, 2019, Gabriel, Trip, 0362-4331, Blinder, Alan, February 2, 2019,weblink live, The following morning, Northam told staffers that he was convinced he was not in the photo. Sleep-deprived and ignoring the protests of some staffers, Northam held a press conference that afternoon, in which he publicly denied that he was either of the men in the photo, but did admit to having "darkened [his] face" with shoe polish as part of a Michael Jackson costume around the same time.WEB, Caputo, Marc, Northam refuses to resign but says he once did Michael Jackson blackface,weblink February 2, 2019, Politico, February 2, 2019, politico_blackface_jackson, February 2, 2019,weblink live, Reaction to the press conference was intensely negative and calls for Northam's resignation continued.CBS News also unearthed Northam's Virginia Military Institute yearbook, which listed "Coonman", a racial slur, as one of Northam's nicknames; Northam told reporters that two people referred to him by that name, and said that he regretted the presence of the nickname in his yearbook.NEWS,weblink Virginia governor says he was not in racist yearbook photo, Segers, Grace, February 2, 2019, CBS News, February 2, 2019, February 2, 2019,weblink live, Northam says that he does not understand why that nickname was bestowed on him.WEB, Caputo, Marc, 6 moments of weirdness with Ralph Northam,weblink Politico, February 2, 2019, February 3, 2019, February 2, 2019,weblink live, NEWS, Ingles, Laura, Baldwin, Brent, What's Next? After a racist photo in Gov. Ralph Northam's medical school yearbook surfaces, the governorship of Virginia is left in question., STYLE weekly,weblink February 6, 2019, Richmond, Virginia, 5–6, October 30, 2021, October 30, 2021,weblink live, A months-long investigation into the photo that appeared in the 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook could not “conclusively” determine who is in the photo or even how the image came to be there. A team hired by EVMS released a 55-page report on May 22, 2019, saying: “We could not conclusively determine the identity of either individual depicted in the photograph.” McGuireWoods contacted over 80 people connected to the school, including five members of their yearbook staff at the time.WEB,weblink Probe inconclusive; EVMS president knew of racist photo on Northam's page and said nothing, Leonor, Mel, Martz, Michael, May 22, 2019, The Daily Progress, May 22, 2019, May 22, 2019,weblink live, Despite the yearbook scandal, as well as those surrounding Virginia's other two elected statewide officials: Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax and state Attorney General Mark Herring, the Democratic Party of Virginia won control of both the Virginia Senate and the Virginia House of Delegates in the statewide elections that November, amid some predictions that the scandals could negatively impact Democratic success in the coming elections.WEB,weblink A blackface scandal rocked Virginia. Now, Democrats may still win full control of government, USA Today, Ryan W. Miller, November 4, 2019, July 3, 2020, July 3, 2020,weblink live, Northam's approval rating fell to 40% in the immediate aftermath of the scandal but recovered significantly by the end of his term.NEWS, Poll finds Youngkin underwater with Virginia voters, who veer to his left on major issues, en-US, The Washington Post,weblink February 22, 2022, 0190-8286, February 21, 2022,weblink live,

Pledge to address Virginia's racial inequities

Facing widespread calls for his resignation, Northam chose to remain in office but made a public commitment to focus the remainder of his gubernatorial term on addressing Virginia's racial inequities.NEWS,weblink Gregory S. Schneider, Va. Gov. Ralph Northam says he wants to focus rest of his term on racial equity, The Washington Post, February 9, 2019, September 12, 2020, September 12, 2020,weblink live, NEWS,weblink The Washington Post Editorial Board, How Ralph Northam came back from the political dead, The Washington Post, December 27, 2019, September 18, 2020, September 28, 2020,weblink live, NEWS,weblink Gregory S. Schneider, Relaxed and reflective, Gov. Ralph Northam considers scandal-charged year, The Washington Post, December 18, 2019, September 18, 2020, November 12, 2020,weblink live, He and his cabinet then joined with the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus to develop strategies for closing the racial disparity in Virginia's maternal mortality rate, increasing affordable housing and funding for public transportation, supporting minority-owned businesses, removing Confederate monuments from public spaces, removing racist remnants of the Jim Crow era from state lawbooks, rethinking the state's approach to how African American history is taught in public schools, and establishing sensitivity training for state agencies.On March 22, 2019, Northam signed a bill, introduced by the chairman of Virginia's Legislative Black Caucus, Lamont Bagby, establishing the Virginia African American Advisory Board; this board is designed to consist of twenty-one non-legislative citizens appointed by the governor, at least fifteen of whom must be black; additionally, the board includes five members of the governor's cabinet.{{efn|The board's five seats reserved for state cabinet members are to be filled by the Secretaries of the Commonwealth, Commerce and Trade, Education, Health and Human Resources, and Public Safety and Homeland Security; alternatively, the seats can be filled by designees of those secretaries.WEB,weblink HB 2767 Virginia African American Advisory Board; established, report., Virginia's Legislative Information System, September 14, 2020, October 18, 2020,weblink live, }} The board's purpose is to advise the governor on how to best serve African Americans living in the state. Comparable boards for the state's Latino and Asian communities had already existed, and Bagby called the African American Advisory Board "far overdue". Upon establishing the board, Northam said that it would "ensure the voices of all Virginians are heard, particularly those from underrepresented and historically disenfranchised communities."WEB,weblink Mel Leonor, Northam signs bill to create advisory board on African-American issues, Richmond Times-Dispatch, March 22, 2019, September 14, 2020, November 8, 2020,weblink live, WEB,weblink Mechelle Hankerson, Like similar boards, new African-American Advisory Board will be limited in what it can do, Virginia Mercury, April 8, 2019, September 14, 2020, August 5, 2020,weblink live, In May of that year, Northam announced his intent to establish a new cabinet-level position, Chief Diversity Officer. This position would be responsible for advancing equity and inclusion throughout the state government's operations.NEWS,weblink Antonio Olivo, Va. Attorney General Mark Herring works to help African Americans and, maybe, himself, The Washington Post, May 10, 2019, September 14, 2020, November 8, 2020,weblink live, NEWS,weblink Gregory S. Schneider, Northam names first diversity chief for Virginia state government, The Washington Post, September 9, 2019, September 14, 2020, July 9, 2020,weblink live, WEB,weblink Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer Janice Underwood, Ph.D, governor.virginia.gov,weblink July 23, 2020, Virginia is considered to be the first state in the country to establish such a position at the cabinet-level. On September 9, Northam named Janice Underwood as the inaugural Chief Diversity Officer. Underwood had previously led diversity initiatives at Old Dominion University.WEB,weblink Mel Leonor, Janice Underwood, ODU official, is the state's first director of diversity, Richmond Times-Dispatch, September 9, 2019, September 14, 2020, April 27, 2020,weblink live, Among the issues that Underwood has focused on as Chief Diversity Officer are supporting small businesses owned by women, minorities, and disabled veterans, reducing inequities in health care, and diversifying employment in the state's public and private sectors.WEB,weblink live, Sandra J., Pennecke, Virginia's newly appointed diversity and inclusion director is tackling issues head on, The Virginian-Pilot, October 23, 2019,weblink September 14, 2020, October 28, 2019,

COVID-19 pandemic response

On March 12, 2020, Northam declared a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, there were seventeen known cases of the virus in Virginia. On March 13, Northam closed all Virginia schools, and on March 15, he imposed statewide restrictions to allow no more than 100 people at public gatherings. On the seventeenth, he set even stricter limits on public gatherings, allowing no more than ten people together in most areas; grocery and retail stores, pharmacies, medical facilities, manufacturing plants and distribution centers, and transportation hubs were all exempted from the gathering limit.WEB,weblink The Richmond Times-Dispatch staff, The year that was 2020: A timeline of Richmond-area news, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, December 26, 2020, January 10, 2021, January 16, 2021,weblink live, Although schools were originally scheduled to reopen in Virginia after two weeks, on March 23, Northam extended their closure for the remainder of the school year. At this time, there were over 250 known cases of COVID-19 in the state. On April 6, Northam began encouraging the use of face masks by those occupying public spaces. On May 26, he announced a statewide policy requiring the use of facemasks in public indoor spaces. On September 25, Northam and his wife Pamela both tested positive for COVID-19 after one of their staff members became infected. The governor was asymptomatic while his wife suffered mild symptoms.PRESS RELEASE,weblink Governor and First Lady Northam Test Positive for COVID-19, September 25, 2020, governor.virginia.gov, September 25, 2020, September 25, 2020,weblink live, By the end of 2020, over 4,800 Virginians were confirmed dead due to the virus.

Tenant protections

The pandemic prompted Northam in March 2020 to request that the Supreme Court of Virginia issue a moratorium against evictions. One was subsequently issued but expired in June. Northam then requested that the moratorium be extended and the court agreed to do so in August. In July, after the initial moratorium had lapsed, eviction cases were opened throughout the state, and those cases continued to proceed even after the moratorium was extended in August.NEWS,weblink Patricia Sullivan, Housing advocates urge Gov. Northam to ban evictions during pandemic, The Washington Post, August 3, 2020, September 6, 2020, September 7, 2020,weblink live, NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Virginia Supreme Court temporarily halts evictions amid pandemic, The Washington Post, August 7, 2020, September 6, 2020, September 7, 2020,weblink live, NEWS,weblink Gregory S. Schneider, Virginia Supreme Court refuses to extend state ban on evictions, citing federal moratorium in effect, The Washington Post, September 4, 2020, September 6, 2020, September 6, 2020,weblink live, The extended moratorium expired September 7. The Supreme Court of Virginia denied Northam's request for a second extension of the moratorium but declared that a federal moratorium against evictions had to be recognized in Virginia. The federal moratorium – which was set to expire at the end of the year, but was later extended into 2021 – only applied to tenants earning less than a certain amount, who were struggling financially and at risk of exposure to COVID-19 if evicted.WEB,weblink live, Jonathan, Edwards, An eviction 'tsunami' in Virginia could be coming after the new year, advocates warn, The Virginian-Pilot, November 28, 2020,weblink January 10, 2021, July 7, 2021, WEB,weblink live, Jonathan, Edwards, Landlords are confused. Tenants are scared. All agree, eviction laws have become complicated., The Virginian-Pilot, January 2, 2021,weblink January 10, 2021, October 21, 2021, According to The Washington Post, thousands of evictions continued to be filed in Virginia under the federal moratorium "because of the state's loose interpretation of the order."NEWS,weblink Kyle Swenson, Trying to enjoy the holidays with eviction looming in the new year, The Washington Post, December 27, 2020, February 2, 2021, February 6, 2021,weblink live, Its limitations led Northam to consider the federal moratorium to be insufficient protection for those facing the possibility of eviction.Housing advocates pressed Northam throughout 2020 to issue an executive order banning evictions in Virginia for the duration of the pandemic. Northam demurred, suggesting that such an order would have been susceptible to legal challenges. On November 18, he instead amended the state budget to implement a temporary statewide ban on evictions in most circumstances; under the ban, which lasted through the end of 2020, tenants could only be evicted for failure to pay rent if they refused to pursue rent relief programs; the ban also required that landlords provide written notice of state and local rent relief programs to any tenants who failed to pay rent. Once the ban expired at the end of 2020, Northam's amended state budget provided for several new tenant protections to take its place at the start of 2021; these protections allow landlords to evict tenants for failure to pay rent only after the landlords have applied for rental assistance on behalf of the tenants, require landlords who own more than four rental units to offer payment plans to tenants who have been impacted by COVID-19, and extend the amount of notice tenants must be given before eviction from five days to fourteen.WEB,weblink Ned Oliver, With Northam's signature, new eviction and utility cut-off protections take effect, Virginia Mercury, November 18, 2020, January 10, 2021, January 10, 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink live, Northam signs revised Virginia budget to include utility shutoff protection, eviction moratorium, WAVY-TV, November 18, 2020,weblink January 10, 2021, May 31, 2021, NEWS,weblink Kyle Swenson, Congress extends pandemic aid for the jobless and renters. Here's what you need to know., The Washington Post, December 21, 2020, January 10, 2021, January 28, 2021,weblink live, The tenant protections enacted through the state budget did not prevent evictions from continuing in Virginia for reasons other than failure to pay rent, nor did they prevent landlords in the state from denying lease renewals to tenants eligible for rental assistance.NEWS, Swenson, Kyle, March 29, 2021, Evictions continue in Virginia despite CDC order extension, en-US, The Washington Post,weblink October 18, 2021, 0190-8286, May 16, 2022,weblink live, WEB, Reyes, Josh, August 5, 2021, Despite so-called eviction bans, thousands of Virginians have been forced out of their homes during the pandemic,weblink live, October 18, 2021, pilotonline.com,weblink October 20, 2021, Although many of the protections from the state budget expired at the end of June 2021,WEB, Robinson, Mark, June 17, 2021, UPDATE: Northam rebuffs plea to extend eviction protections past June 30,weblink live, October 18, 2021, richmond.com,weblink June 22, 2021, WEB, Murillo, Michelle, July 2021, Virginia renters vulnerable to eviction as state of emergency ends {{!, WTOP|url=https://wtop.com/virginia/2021/07/virginia-renters-vulnerable-to-eviction-as-state-of-emergency-ends/amp/|access-date=October 18, 2021|website=wtop.com|archive-date=October 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018164429weblink|url-status=dead}} they were renewed in August through June 2022.WEB, Oliver, Ned, August 3, 2021, Virginia moves to restart eviction protections after federal moratorium lapses,weblink October 18, 2021, Fauquier Times, PrinceWilliamTimes.com, en, October 18, 2021,weblink live, WEB, Jean-Charles, Tamica, August 17, 2021, Virginia extended its COVID-19 eviction protections until June 2022,weblink October 18, 2021, The Progress-Index, en, October 18, 2021,weblink live, About one-fifth as many evictions were filed in Virginia throughout the first half of 2021 as had been normal for the state before the pandemic. At the start of Northam's term, Virginia had one of the nation's highest eviction rates, and efforts to reduce that rate had already begun under Northam prior to the pandemic.WEB, Finley, Ben, August 22, 2021, 'Embarrassing' eviction rate put Virginia on course to stronger tenant protections,weblink October 19, 2021, pilotonline.com, October 29, 2021,weblink live, WEB, Robertson, Noah, September 20, 2021, A national model? How Virginia is improving landlord-tenant relations. - CSMonitor.com,weblink October 19, 2021, www.csmonitor.com, October 17, 2021,weblink live, The rent relief program that Virginia established in response to the pandemic was among the first in the nation. Initially funded by the state alone, the program received additional funding from the federal government in January 2021. Since then, Virginia's rent relief program has distributed a higher percentage of its federal funding than has been distributed by any other state for this purpose and is second only to Texas in the total amount of federal funding that it has distributed.WEB, Harris, Bracey, Kaplan, Adiel, July 28, 2021, The eviction moratorium is about to end, yet federal relief funds largely remain unspent,weblink October 19, 2021, www.nbcnews.com, en, October 19, 2021,weblink live, WEB, Daniel, Eugene, September 29, 2021, US Treasury data shows Virginia's success in distributing rental relief money,weblink October 19, 2021, www.13newsnow.com, en, October 28, 2021,weblink live, The policy that Northam enacted through the state budget requiring that landlords apply for rent relief on behalf of their tenants before they can file evictions for nonpayment was credited by The Virginian-Pilot as a primary reason for Virginia's effective distribution of rent relief and was credited by The Washington Post as a primary reason for the state's achievement of a low eviction rate in 2021.NEWS, Davies, Emily, Hilton, Jasmine, September 23, 2021, Without pandemic unemployment assistance, many navigate an uncertain economic future, en-US, The Washington Post,weblink October 19, 2021, 0190-8286, September 24, 2021,weblink live, The Christian Science Monitor wrote that during Northam's tenure in office, Virginia became a "national model" for tenant protections.

Utility assistance

In September 2020, Northam asked the State Corporation Commission to extend its moratorium on utility cutoffs, which had first been implemented in March. The commission agreed to extend the moratorium until October 5.WEB,weblink Kate Masters, Northam requests another extension on Virginia's utility shutoff ban, Virginia Mercury, September 15, 2020, January 10, 2021, January 12, 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink NBC12 Newsroom, SCC grants Northam's request to extend utility shutoff moratorium, NBC 12, September 15, 2020, January 10, 2021, January 12, 2021,weblink live, Northam then asked for a further extension in October, which the commission denied.WEB,weblink live, Saleen, Martin, Northam wants to extend Virginia's ban on utility cutoffs again. Regulators say it will still expire Monday., The Virginian-Pilot, October 1, 2020,weblink January 10, 2021, July 7, 2021, On November 18, Northam reimplemented the moratorium through an amendment to the state budget. Although when implemented by the commission, the moratorium had applied only to private utility companies, the version implemented through the state budget applied to all utilities, including those operated by local and regional governments. The state government was able to grant exemptions from this moratorium to utilities that were at risk of insolvency. Under reforms introduced through the state budget, customers who are unable to pay their utility bills for more thirty days during the pandemic are ensured access to payment plans.The moratorium expired in August 2021. That same month, Northam and the Virginia legislature implemented a new moratorium protecting financially vulnerable residential customers of the state's largest utility provider, Dominion Energy. This moratorium will continue until March 2022. For residential customers of the state's other utility providers, funds from the American Rescue Plan Act have been made available to assist those who have been unable to pay their bills for over sixty days.WEB, Vogelsong, Sarah, August 9, 2021, Budget includes $120 million in additional utility assistance,weblink October 20, 2021, Virginia Mercury, en-US, October 20, 2021,weblink live, WEB, DeFusco, Jackie, August 20, 2021, Most Virginia utilities can resume service shut offs soon; New debt forgiveness funding available,weblink October 20, 2021, 8News, en-US, October 20, 2021,weblink live, WEB, Alberola, Gabriela, August 30, 2021, Utility disconnection protections: Let's make it permanent,weblink October 20, 2021, en-US, October 20, 2021,weblink live, The requirement that utility customers be offered payment plans has also remained in effect.

Workplace safety standards

In May 2020, Northam instructed the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry to develop new workforce safety standards in response to the pandemic.WEB,weblink Ned Oliver, Following months of workplace complaints, Northam proposes on-the-job safety rules for COVID-19, Virginia Mercury, May 28, 2020, January 10, 2021, January 12, 2021,weblink live, The department's Board of Safety and Health Codes voted on June 24 and July 15 to make those standards mandatory statewide. The federal government under President Trump had previously issued safety standards to guide employers during the pandemic but had not made those guidelines mandatory. Virginia was the first state in the nation to adopt mandatory workforce safety standards in response to the pandemic.NEWS,weblink Eli Rosenberg, Virginia poised to create first pandemic workplace safety mandates in nation, as Trump labor agency sits on sidelines, The Washington Post, June 24, 2020, January 10, 2021, January 9, 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink Nicole Narea, The federal agency that's supposed to protect workers is toothless on Covid-19, Vox, July 13, 2020, January 10, 2021, January 25, 2021,weblink live, NEWS,weblink Eli Rosenberg, Virginia adopts nation's first coronavirus workplace safety rules after labor groups decry federal inaction, The Washington Post, July 15, 2020, January 10, 2021, January 12, 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink Ned Oliver, Virginia becomes first state to mandate COVID-19 precautions in all workplaces, Virginia Mercury, July 15, 2020, January 10, 2021, January 12, 2021,weblink live, These standards were set to expire at the end of January 2021,WEB,weblink Brad Kutner, Virginia Officials Hear Debate Over Stricter Labor Rules, Courthouse News Service, January 5, 2021, January 10, 2021, January 12, 2021,weblink live, but were extended indefinitely that same month.WEB, Blackwell, John Reid, January 20, 2021, Virginia set to implement permanent standards for COVID-19 workplace safety,weblink live, October 22, 2021, richmond.com,weblink January 20, 2021, WEB, Michael, Karen, May 25, 2021, Labor Law: Virginia employers need to comply with workplace safety rules that seem to conflict with the CDC and governor's order,weblink live, October 22, 2021, richmond.com,weblink May 26, 2021,

Protections for inmates

In March 2020, Northam urged localities to reduce their jail populations, so as to lessen the spread of COVID-19 among inmates, and in April, he proposed an amendment to the state budget that would allow the Virginia Department of Corrections to release non-dangerous inmates with remaining sentences of one year or less. This amendment was passed by the Virginia legislature on April 22. It marks the first time that the Virginia Department of Corrections has ever held authority to release inmates early. The policy is set to remain in effect until July 2021. To qualify for the policy, inmates are required to have a place to stay upon release.NEWS,weblink Gregory S. Schneider, Virginia governor seeks to release up to 2,000 inmates, The Washington Post, April 10, 2020, January 15, 2021, January 21, 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink Caleb Stewart, Gov. Northam announces plans for inmate releases, nursing home task force, WHSV, April 10, 2020, January 15, 2021, January 21, 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink Caleb Stewart, Va. lawmakers give Dept. of Corrections power to release some inmates early, WHSV, April 23, 2020, January 15, 2021, January 18, 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink Ned Oliver, Virginia Department of Corrections clears 230 prisoners for early release, Virginia Mercury, May 7, 2020, January 15, 2021, January 13, 2021,weblink live, An algorithm-calculated recidivism rate is also used to determine whether an inmate qualifies for release under the policy.WEB,weblink Katherine Hafner, Virginia has been releasing hundreds of prisoners during the pandemic. Critics argue it's not enough., The Virginian-Pilot, October 15, 2020, January 15, 2021, January 3, 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink Joseph Whitney Smith, Sam Fowler, Inmates frustrated by COVID-19 Prison Spike: 'Nobody really cares', WRIC, December 10, 2020, January 16, 2021, January 21, 2021,weblink live, Some political activists have called the policy overly narrow and have suggested that Northam should further reduce Virginia's prison population through issuing clemency to certain inmates.NEWS,weblink Justin Jouvenal, Amid massive covid-19 outbreak, Virginia prisons accused of failing inmates again, The Washington Post, September 25, 2020, January 15, 2021, January 21, 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink Adam Rosenfeld, Rosenfeld: Northam should address prison virus crisis, The Roanoke Times, December 26, 2020, January 16, 2021, January 13, 2021,weblink live, NEWS,weblink Nora V. Demleitner, Gov. Northam should release some state prisoners, The Washington Post, January 1, 2021, January 15, 2021, January 5, 2021,weblink live, Northam and the Department of Corrections have faced multiple lawsuits from inmates who claim to be at risk of contracting COVID-19.NEWS,weblink Erin Cox, John D. Harden, Fenit Nirappil, Laura Vozzella, Another grave milestone: More than 10,600 cases in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, The Washington Post, April 8, 2020, January 15, 2021, January 22, 2021,weblink live, In May, a settlement was reached in one of those lawsuits.WEB,weblink Whittney Evans, ACLU of Virginia Settles With Governor, Department of Corrections In Prisoner Lawsuit, WCVE-FM, May 13, 2020, January 15, 2021, January 22, 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink Frank Green, Settlement approved in suit filed by prison inmates seeking protection from COVID-19, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, May 12, 2020, January 15, 2021, January 13, 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink Courtney Stuart, DOC reaches settlement in lawsuit over prison conditions, CBS 19, June 2, 2020, January 15, 2021, January 22, 2021,weblink live, Subsequently, the ACLU argued that the Virginia Department of Corrections had proceeded to violate the terms of that settlement multiple times.WEB,weblink Dean Mirshahi, ACLU of Virginia accuses state of violating agreement to release more inmates, provide documents, WRIC, June 25, 2020, January 15, 2021, January 22, 2021,weblink live, NEWS,weblink Justin Jouvenal, Suffering from cancer and diabetes, a Virginia inmate died of covid-19 just months before his release date, The Washington Post, October 2, 2020, January 15, 2021, January 12, 2021,weblink live, In July, the Marshall Project reported that Virginia's prison population had decreased by the smallest amount of any state in the nation during the pandemic.WEB,weblink Damini Sharma, Weihua Li, Denise Lavoie, Claudia Lauer, Prison Populations Drop by 100,000 During Pandemic, The Marshall Project, July 16, 2020, January 15, 2021, January 15, 2021,weblink live,

Outbreak at the Farmville Detention Center

In July 2020, when an outbreak of COVID-19 occurred at the Farmville Detention Center, Northam's administration responded by twice offering to have the Virginia Department of Health help conduct testing at the facility. Those offers were then declined for undisclosed reasons. Because ICE facilities are not operated by the Virginia government, Northam reasoned that he was unable to unilaterally intervene in the situation – a conclusion that some immigration advocates have disputed. Before the outbreak, Northam had unsuccessfully urged the Trump administration to conduct point prevalence testing at ICE facilities, and soon after the outbreak, Northam joined with Virginia senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine in calling on the Trump administration to intervene at the Farmville facility. In a letter to President Trump, Northam requested that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) dispatch a team to address the situation.NEWS,weblink Antonio Olivo, Gregory S. Schneider, Northam, U.S. senators ask for CDC's help with covid-19 outbreak at immigrant detention center, The Washington Post, July 29, 2020, January 16, 2021, January 21, 2021,weblink live, That summer, it was reported that over 260 of the Farmville Detention Center's estimated 400 detainees had contracted COVID-19.NEWS,weblink Antonio Olivo, House committee seeks records in coronavirus outbreak inside Virginia immigrant detention center, The Washington Post, August 7, 2020, January 16, 2021, January 22, 2021,weblink live, NEWS,weblink The Washington Post editorial board, Migrants at ICE detention centers are sitting ducks because of an inhumane policy, The Washington Post, August 4, 2020, January 16, 2021, January 22, 2021,weblink live, According to ICE, most of those infected at the facility were asymptomatic, although the detainees themselves and their lawyers claimed that many detainees at the facility developed symptoms.WEB,weblink Jenny Gathright, Inspection Finds 'Systematic' Failings In Farmville Immigrant Detention Center Response To COVID-19 Outbreak, WAMU, September 10, 2020, January 21, 2021, January 28, 2021,weblink live, In August, The Washington Post wrote that the Farmville facility had what was at the time "the nation's largest coronavirus outbreak inside a detention center." In September, the same publication reported that over 330 detainees at the facility had been infected during the outbreak.NEWS,weblink Antonio Olivo, Nick Miroff, ICE flew detainees to Virginia so the planes could transport agents to D.C. protests. A huge coronavirus outbreak followed., The Washington Post, September 11, 2020, January 17, 2021, January 11, 2021,weblink live, Shortly before the start of the outbreak, seventy-four undocumented immigrants had been transferred to the Farmville Detention Center from facilities in Arizona and Florida. These detainees were neither tested nor quarantined prior to arriving at the Farmville facility, even though they were transferred from facilities where COVID-19 had already occurred. A lawsuit filed in July on behalf of detainees at the Farmville facility argued that the Farmville Detention Center had violated its own policy when the transferred detainees were not quarantined.{{efn|Although the transferred detainees were isolated from the rest of the population at the Farmville Detention Center for fourteen days, they were isolated within the Farmville facility itself, rather than at a separate location. The Farmville facility's official policy during the pandemic requires that isolation occur at a separate location before detainees can be transferred into the facility.NEWS,weblink Hannah Dreier, To stay or to go?, The Washington Post, December 26, 2020, January 17, 2021, January 17, 2021,weblink live, }} The lawsuit further argued that crowded conditions, poor ventilation, infrequent testing, and insufficient medical treatment had contributed to the outbreak, while detailing the use of pepper spray and solitary confinement on detainees who protested these conditions.Per Northam's request, a CDC team conducted a week-long evaluation of the Farmville Detention Center in August.NEWS,weblink Gregory S. Schneider, Federal scientists begin addressing massive covid-19 outbreak at immigration detention center in Virginia, The Washington Post, August 10, 2020, January 16, 2021, January 26, 2021,weblink live, NEWS,weblink Antonio Olivo, Judge orders new health inspection at Virginia immigration center with large coronavirus outbreak, The Washington Post, August 17, 2020, January 16, 2021, January 1, 2021,weblink live, Although the team described failures to observe CDC guidelines at the facility as minimal, it faulted staff members for wearing masks inconsistently and for not always isolating after developing symptoms associated with COVID-19. It also expressed concern that the layout of the facility made physical distancing impractical in certain areas. Citing these findings, a federal judge ordered a new inspection of the facility later that same month. This new inspection found that the facility had managed to adopt physical distancing procedures but faulted the facility for not always isolating symptomatic detainees. It also faulted some detainees for not wearing masks. The Washington Post later reported on the conditions at the facility in greater detail, explaining that most infected detainees remained in their regular dorm rooms during the outbreak because there were only nine medical isolation rooms in the facility. The publication further reported that staffers at the facility continued to work during the outbreak "through nausea, diarrhea and breathlessness" and were allegedly asked to work even after testing positive for COVID-19. Several detainees at the facility abandoned their asylum cases and asked to be deported so as to escape the outbreak. At least one of them was killed soon after returning to his home country.In early August, a Canadian national detained at the Farmville Detention Center died of COVID-19 shortly before he was to be deported.WEB,weblink Mica Rosenberg, Special Report: Almost Home - COVID-19 ensnares elderly ICE detainee from Canada, Reuters, August 14, 2020, January 21, 2021, January 19, 2021,weblink live, A few days later, a federal judge ordered the Farmville facility to stop admitting new detainees.NEWS,weblink Antonio Olivo, Judge orders ICE to stop transfers into Virginia facility hit hard by coronavirus, The Washington Post, August 11, 2020, January 17, 2021, January 22, 2021,weblink live, Later that month, the outbreak ended.In September, an official from the Department of Homeland Security stated that the detainees from Arizona and Florida had been transferred to the Farmville Detention Center as an excuse to transport Special Response Teams on charter flights to Washington D.C., where the teams were then used over the summer to suppress that city's George Floyd protests. A former ICE official has corroborated this claim. Although moving weapons and equipment is easier for ICE employees on charter flights than it is on commercial flights, ICE employees are only allowed to travel on charter flights when accompanied by detainees. The decision to transfer detainees to the Farmville Detention Center so that Special Response Teams could travel on charter flights has been described by multiple officials from the Department of Homeland Security as an abuse of the ICE charter flight policy. Although ICE claimed that the detainees had been transferred from facilities that were near capacity, official records reviewed by The Washington Post show that the Arizona and Florida facilities were not actually near capacity when the transfers occurred. The Farmville facility's own capacity before accepting the transferred detainees was already much higher than the capacities of many other detention centers around the country.From September through December 2020, the only other immigration detention center in Virginia, the Caroline Detention Facility, experienced smaller outbreaks of COVID-19.WEB,weblink Cathy Dyson, Local virus death tolls reaches 70; Caroline ICE facility has outbreak, The Free Lance-Star, September 18, 2020, January 21, 2021, January 28, 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink Hannah Schuster, ICE Reverses Course On Plans To Transfer Detainees To Farmville Detention Center, DCist, September 22, 2020, January 21, 2021, January 16, 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink DCist staff, Virginia Legislature Passes Bill That Would Subject ICE Detention Centers To State Health Inspections, DCist, October 2, 2020, January 21, 2021, January 16, 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink Keyris Manzanares, COVID-19 strikes again at ICE detention facility in Caroline County, WRIC, December 21, 2020, January 21, 2021, January 8, 2021,weblink live, On October 21, in response to the outbreaks at both the Farmville and Caroline facilities, Northam signed a bill granting the Virginia state government permanent authority to conduct both health inspections and wrongful death investigations at detention facilities in the state.WEB,weblink Sabrina Moreno, Virginia can start inspecting its ICE facilities in early 2021, months after one had the largest COVID immigrant detention outbreak in the country, Richmond Times-Dispatch, October 21, 2020, January 21, 2021, January 28, 2021,weblink live,

Alleged kidnapping plot

{{see also|Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot}}On October 8, 2020, a federal indictment against six men associated with the Wolverine Watchmen, a Michigan-based militia group, was unsealed. The indictment charges the men with plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and violently overthrow Michigan's government.NEWS, Bogel-Burroughs, Nicholas, Dewan, Shaila, Gray, Kathleen, October 8, 2020, F.B.I. Says Michigan Militia Plotted to Kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, en-US, The New York Times,weblink October 13, 2020, 0362-4331, October 8, 2020,weblink live, During a court hearing on October 13, an FBI agent testified that the suspects had also discussed kidnapping Northam in response to his mitigation measures against COVID-19.NEWS, Agar, John, October 13, 2020, Kidnapping plot included leaving Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in boat in Lake Michigan, FBI says,weblink Michigan Live, Grand Rapids, October 13, 2020, October 15, 2021,weblink live, NEWS,weblink New and shocking details revealed at hearing for Gov. Whitmer kidnap plot, Detroit Free Press, Egan, Paul, Baldas, Tresa, October 13, 2020, October 13, 2020, October 15, 2021,weblink live,

School Masking

In March 2020, as part of the statewide response, Governor Northam shut down schools across the commonwealth for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.NEWS, Lardieri, Alexa, March 23, 2020, Virginia Closes Schools for the Year Amid Coronavirus, en-US, U.S. News,weblink April 25, 2023, April 25, 2023,weblink live, For the 2020-2021 school year, local Virginia districts determined whether schools were shut down for the year. Schools that remained open to in-person attendance were required to have mitigation measures in place that aligned with CDC guidelines. Mitigation measures included face masks for children ages 10 and up.NEWS, Kim, Allen, Andrew, Scottie, Froio, James, August 17, 2020, These are the states requiring people to wear masks when out in public, en-US, CNN,weblink April 25, 2023, April 25, 2023,weblink live, In July 2021, after the COVID-19 vaccine had achieved widespread distribution, Northam announced that he would urge but not require continued masking in schools.NEWS, Rankin, Sarah, July 21, 2021, Northam urges but won't require continued masking in schools, en-US, AP,weblink April 25, 2023, April 25, 2023,weblink live, However, in August 2021, Northam and State Health Commissioner Norm Oliver issued a new public health order mandating universal masking in all K-12 schools, which included both public and private schools, for children ages 4 and up.NEWS, Thompson, Cameron, August 12, 2021, Northam orders universal masking in Virginia schools, en-US, CBS6 News Richmond,weblink April 25, 2023, April 25, 2023,weblink live, During the fall 2021 gubernatorial race, Republican Glenn Youngkin made school mask mandates the center of his "Parents Matter" campaign, and he defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe. Northam's mask mandates was widely cited as one reason for Youngkin's successful race.NEWS, Goldstein, Dana, November 3, 2021, In Virginia, frustration with schooling during the pandemic played a part in Youngkin's win, en-US, The New York Times,weblink April 25, 2023, April 25, 2023,weblink live,

Political positions

The Washington Post described Northam as a moderate state senator who moved to the left on some issues during the 2017 gubernatorial Democratic primary, such as support for a $15 minimum wage and opposition to a state constitutional amendment enshrining right-to-work legislation.NEWS,weblink Gillespie wins key backing after vowing to oppose transgender bathroom bills, Vozzella, Laura, September 30, 2017, The Washington Post, September 30, 2017, 0190-8286, September 30, 2017,weblink live,

Abortion

Northam supports abortion rights.WEB,weblink October 28, 2021, Q&A: Ralph Northam Aims For the Governor's Mansion in Virginia, Manuel, Madrid, May 3, 2017, The American Prospect, October 29, 2021,weblink live, As a Virginia state senator, he opposed a bill to mandate vaginal ultrasounds for women seeking abortions, and voted against the bill when it was revised to mandate only abdominal ultrasounds.WEB,weblink Harry Minium, Norfolk doctor had key role in state ultrasound debate, Virginian-Pilot, March 11, 2012,weblink March 10, 2017, He was endorsed in the 2017 Democratic gubernatorial primary by the abortion rights group NARAL and its Virginia affiliate.NEWS, Fenit, Nirappil,weblink Abortion rights group NARAL endorses Northam in Virginia Democratic primary, The Washington Post, March 13, 2017, June 19, 2017, May 17, 2017,weblink live, Northam has argued for reducing abortion rates through education and expanding access to contraceptives. Planned Parenthood pledged to spend $3 million supporting Northam in his 2017 general election campaign for governor.NEWS,weblink Fenit, Nirappil, Va. arm of Planned Parenthood to spend $3 million backing Northam for governor, The Washington Post, August 2, 2017, November 1, 2017, November 8, 2017,weblink live, Northam opposes banning abortions after 20 weeks through a state version of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.NEWS,weblink For both sides of abortion debate, unusually high stakes in Virginia governor's race, The Washington Post, Fenit, Nirappil, September 11, 2017, November 1, 2017, November 7, 2017,weblink live, For third-trimester abortions, Northam supports Virginia's current law requiring certification by multiple physicians.AV MEDIA,weblink Julie Carey, Ralph Northam, Ask the Governor with Va. Gov. Ralph Northam, January 30, 2019, video, February 2, 2019, 38:46-41:03, WTOP-FM, February 1, 2019,weblink live, WEB,weblink Rick Massimo, Virginia Gov. Northam on road projects, teacher pay, shutdown impact, more, WTOP-FM, WTOP, January 30, 2019, February 1, 2019, January 31, 2019,weblink live, {{efn|This law allows third-trimester abortions to be certified by a single physician if continued pregnancy is found to pose an imminent danger to a woman's life.WEB,weblink § 18.2-74.1. Abortion, etc., when necessary to save life of woman., Virginia's Legislative Information System, March 3, 2019, March 6, 2019,weblink live, }} During a January 2019 radio interview, Northam said that third-trimester abortions may be done in cases of a non-viable fetus or severe deformity. If a delivery occurred in such cases, Northam further stated that, "The infant would be resuscitated if that's what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother."WEB,weblink Graham Moomaw, Trump reacts after Va. Republicans share video of lawmaker backing late-term abortions; Democrats call it an 'orchestrated ambush', Richmond Times-Dispatch, January 30, 2019, January 31, 2019, April 20, 2019,weblink live, WEB,weblink Kathryn Watson, Virginia governor under fire for comments on late-term abortion bill, CBS News, January 31, 2019, January 31, 2019, January 30, 2019,weblink live, This statement drew intense criticism from Republican politicians nationwide, many of whom accused Northam of supporting infanticide.WEB,weblink Sarah Jones, Here Are the Facts Behind an Abortion Controversy Engulfing Virginia Democrats, Daily Intelligencer (New York magazine), Daily Intelligencer, January 31, 2019, January 31, 2019, January 31, 2019,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20190131081739weblink">weblink live, {{efn|Northam's full answer to the abortion question during the interview with NBC4 reporter Julie Carey, WTOP-FM on January 30, 2019}} Northam's office refuted such criticism as a mischaracterization of his comments.WEB,weblink Anna North, The controversy around Virginia's new abortion bill, explained, Vox, February 1, 2019, September 12, 2020, August 29, 2020,weblink live, WEB,weblink Anna North, Trump's misleading comments about Gov. Ralph Northam and infanticide, explained, Vox, February 12, 2019, September 12, 2020, September 27, 2020,weblink live,

Animal welfare

As a state senator, Northam introduced a bill to ban the use of gas chambers on companion animals in Virginia, addressing a means of euthanasia that has been described by medical experts as less humane than lethal injection.WEB,weblink Humane Dominion endorses Ralph Northam for governor, Augusta Free Press, October 13, 2017, November 22, 2020, November 27, 2020,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20201127093000weblink">weblink live, WEB,weblink Stephen Conroy, A Better Way to Kill?, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 10, 2002, November 22, 2020, May 31, 2021,weblink live, The ban was signed into law by Tim Kaine in 2008.WEB,weblink Nate Hubbard, Animal rights bills pass General Assembly, List of weekly newspapers in the United States#Virginia, Wytheville Enterprise, March 12, 2008, November 22, 2020, May 31, 2021,weblink live, During Virginia's 2017 gubernatorial election, Northam was endorsed by both the Humane Society Legislative FundPRESS RELEASE,weblink Humane Society Legislative Fund Endorses Ralph Northam for Governor of Virginia, Humane Society of the United States#Humane Society Legislative Fund, Humane Society Legislative Fund, Washington D.C., October 6, 2017, November 22, 2020, May 5, 2021,weblink live, and Humane Dominion. In its endorsement, the former organization stated, "In addition to advancing statewide animal protection policy, Northam has demonstrated concern for animals in his personal life, growing up on a farm and understanding the importance of proper animal care."In 2018, Northam signed a law requiring that products developed in Virginia use non-animal based testing methods whenever possible; when such methods are not possible, the law requires that the number of animals used in testing be minimized and that the most humane testing method be used. The law exempts testing done for medical research. It also allows animal testing to be conducted whenever required by federal or state agencies. This law made Virginia the fourth state to restrict animal based product testing.WEB,weblink Maria Chiorando, New Virginia Law Will Significantly Reduce Animal Testing, Plant Based News, April 17, 2018, November 22, 2020, October 31, 2020,weblink live, PRESS RELEASE,weblink Virginia lawmakers lauded for law requiring use of non-animal test methods, The Humane Society of the United States, Washington D.C., April 10, 2018, November 22, 2020, November 25, 2020,weblink live, WEB,weblink Nicole Pallotta, California Bans the Sale of Most Cosmetics Tested on Animals, Animal Legal Defense Fund, October 15, 2018, November 22, 2018, April 14, 2020,weblink live, WEB,weblink HB 1087 Animal research; alternative test methods, civil penalty., Virginia's Legislative Information System, November 22, 2020, November 25, 2020,weblink live, That same year, Northam signed a law banning state-funded, medically unnecessary experiments in Virginia that induce unalleviated pain in cats or dogs; this law, which defines "medically unnecessary" experiments as those not done for the benefit of the animal test subjects, is the first of its kind in the United States and passed with unanimous support in the Virginia state legislature.WEB,weblink Carmen Forman, Flurry of bills precede legislators as Virginia General Assembly convenes Wednesday for 60-day session, The Roanoke Times, January 7, 2018, November 23, 2020, May 31, 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink A. Barton Hinkle, A. Barton Hinkle column: Virginia can do more to improve animal welfare, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, January 13, 2018, November 23, 2020, May 31, 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink Trevor Metcalfe, Three bills submitted to Virginia General Assembly by Moneta senator deal with animal welfare, Danville Register & Bee, January 22, 2018, November 23, 2020, May 31, 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink Evanne Armour, Va. Gov. approves bill banning tax dollars for painful medical research on dogs and cats, WRIC, April 7, 2018, November 22, 2020, November 30, 2020,weblink live, PRESS RELEASE,weblink A Double Victory for Research Animals in Virginia!, National Anti-Vivisection Society, April 11, 2018, November 23, 2020, {{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}WEB,weblink Justin Goodman, Victory! Historic Virginia Law Defunds "Maximum Pain" Dog and Cat Experiments, White Coat Waste Project, April 9, 2018, November 23, 2020, November 30, 2020,weblink live, WEB,weblink Kerri O'Brien, McGuire VA continuing to buy canines for deadly dog research, WRIC, November 2, 2018, November 23, 2020, November 27, 2020,weblink live, WEB,weblink SB 28 Medical research on dogs and cats; prohibition on use of state funds, civil penalty., Virginia's Legislative Information System, November 23, 2020, November 30, 2020,weblink live, In 2019, Northam signed a law classifying the physical abuse of cats and dogs as a felony in Virginia; previously, such abuse had been classified as a misdemeanor in Virginia, unless it resulted in an animal's death;WEB,weblink Deb Belt, Animal Advocates Praise Tougher Cruelty Penalties In Virginia, Patch (website), Patch, March 13, 2019, November 23, 2020, May 31, 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink Morgan Winsor, Virginia governor signs 'Tommie's Law,' making animal cruelty a felony offense, ABC News, April 2, 2019, November 23, 2020, November 11, 2020,weblink live, WEB,weblink Tommie's Law: Gov. Northam, state lawmakers touting new animal cruelty bill days before it goes into effect, WRIC, June 27, 2019, November 23, 2020, May 31, 2021,weblink live, it was not until later that year that federal law made abuse against all kinds of mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles a federal felony.NEWS,weblink Hannah Knowles, Katie Mettler, Trump signs a sweeping federal ban on animal cruelty, The Washington Post, November 25, 2019, November 26, 2020, November 28, 2020,weblink live, WEB,weblink Richard Gonzales, Trump Signs Law Making Cruelty To Animals A Federal Crime, NPR, November 25, 2019, November 26, 2020, November 28, 2020,weblink live, WEB,weblink Caitlin O'Kane, Trump signs bill making animal cruelty a federal felony, CBS, November 25, 2019, November 26, 2020, November 12, 2020,weblink live, WEB,weblink Laura Taylor, Bill to prohibit breeding, exploitation of dogs, cats to be heard by Va. Senate, WSET, January 21, 2020, November 26, 2020, May 8, 2021,weblink live, That same year, Northam vetoed a bill that would have established a mandatory minimum sentence of six months for the killing or injuring of a police animal.NEWS,weblink Ralph Northam, Ralph Northam: I won't sign another mandatory minimum sentence bill into law. Here's why., The Washington Post, May 1, 2019, May 2, 2019, May 2, 2019,weblink live, NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, With two vetoes, Northam swears off mandatory sentencing minimums, The Washington Post, May 1, 2019, May 2, 2019, WEB,weblink Amy Friedenberger, Gov. Ralph Northam will sign no additional mandatory minimum legislation for remainder of term, The Roanoke Times, May 1, 2019, May 2, 2019, May 1, 2019,weblink live, Noting that Virginia law already classified violence against police animals as a felony, Northam explained his veto by arguing against the value of mandatory minimum sentences and stating, "While violence is unacceptable, these are crimes that can be addressed by a judge with full knowledge of the facts and circumstances of each particular case."Additional animal welfare bills signed by Northam in 2019 add requirements for the proper sheltering and tethering of animals and provide animal control officers the authority to confiscate tethered roosters that have been involved in cockfighting.WEB,weblink Elizabeth Tyree, Northam signs bill extending protections from extreme weather to chained dogs, WSET, May 30, 2019, November 23, 2020, August 15, 2020,weblink live, Prior to 2019, tethers used on pets{{efn|Virginia law does not classify walking an animal on a leash as tethering.}} were required by Virginia law to be at least three times the animal's length; the law signed by Northam in 2019 changes this to at least ten feet or three times the animal's length, whichever is greater.WEB,weblink SB 1025 Companion animals; adequate shelter and space., Virginia's Legislative Information System, November 23, 2020, May 31, 2021,weblink live, In 2020, Northam signed a law revising this to fifteen feet or four times the animal's length, whichever is greater. The 2020 law allows the 2019 standard to be enforced when an animal control officer determines that a shorter tether would be preferable.WEB,weblink Susan Laume, NoVA Legislators Lasso Outdoor Tethering Law, The Connection, May 6, 2020, November 24, 2020, December 1, 2020,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20201201142409weblink">weblink live, WEB,weblink Carly Kemper, Virginia legislators pass ban on tethering dogs in extreme weather, WHSV, March 9, 2020, November 24, 2020, August 4, 2020,weblink live, PRESS RELEASE,weblink Virginia Lawmakers Redefine Humane Standards for Chained Dogs, The National Humane Education Society, Charles Town, West Virginia, April 1, 2020, November 24, 2020, May 31, 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink Susan Laume, Governor Northam Signs Protection Bills For Dogs, Alexandria Gazette Packet, August 20, 2020, November 24, 2020, May 31, 2021,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20210531130248weblink">weblink live, WEB,weblink SB 272 Tethering animals; adequate shelter and space., Virginia's Legislative Information System, November 24, 2020, July 30, 2020,weblink live, The 2019 law also established that tethers must weigh no more than one-tenth the animal's body weight, cannot be weighed down, and cannot be painful. The 2019 law regarding the proper sheltering of animals requires protection from hot and cold weather.WEB,weblink HB 1625 Animal care; adequate shelter, exposure to heat or cold., Virginia's Legislative Information System, November 24, 2020, May 31, 2021,weblink live, In 2020, Northam signed a law banning the tethering of animals in extreme weather or temperatures (except for when an animal control officer determines that a tethered animal can safely tolerate such conditions); this law also requires that tethered animals be safe from predators.A bill signed by Northam in 2020 tasked the Virginia Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services with establishing new state regulations for pet stores. To enforce those regulations, the bill created the position of State Animal Welfare Inspector.WEB,weblink Elizabeth Tyree, Northam signs state budget, law decriminalizing simple marijuana possession, WSET, May 21, 2020, November 29, 2020, May 31, 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink Susan Laume, Pet shops get standards, inspections under new law, The Blueview, Fairfax County Democratic Committee, August 5, 2020, November 29, 2020, December 1, 2020,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20201201044402weblink">weblink live, WEB,weblink David W. Marsden, January 8, 2020, SB 891 Animal welfare regulations; keeping of dogs, cats, and rabbits., Virginia's Legislative Information System, November 29, 2020, October 17, 2020,weblink live, Northam proposed an unsuccessful amendment to this bill; his amendment would have expanded the state government's definition of a commercial dog breeder to include any person who breeds dogs for research purposes.WEB,weblink Kerri O'Brien, Lawmakers reject Northam amendment that could have increased oversight of controversial dog breeding facility, WRIC, April 21, 2020, November 29, 2020, December 10, 2020,weblink live, WEB,weblink Bob Lewis, Jahd Khalil, Flaw in Northam's amendment foils bid to regulate state's largest dog-breeding center, Virginia Mercury, April 22, 2020, November 29, 2020, November 30, 2020,weblink live, WEB,weblink Alexa Massey, Envigo Agrees to Inspections, The Farmville Herald, April 29, 2020, November 29, 2020, December 9, 2020,weblink live, This amendment was proposed following revelations of poor conditions at a breeding facility in Cumberland, Virginia. Housing thousands of beagles bred for research purposes, the Cumberland facility is the largest of its kind in the state and would have faced increased regulation had Northam's amendment been enacted. Although widely supported among animal rights organizations, such as PETA and the Humane Society of the United States, Northam's amendment was opposed by the bill's sponsor, David W. Marsden, who claimed that the amendment could potentially cause the Cumberland facility to close.WEB,weblink Daphna Nachminovitch, Virginia can do better for local dogs destined for experimentation, Virginia Mercury, April 29, 2020, November 29, 2020, November 26, 2020,weblink live, Northam agreed to rescind his support for the amendment, while Marsden expressed a desire to implement a revised approach to the amendment's goals in 2021.Additional animal welfare bills signed by Northam in 2020 ban dealers and commercial breeders in Virginia from selling or importing any dog bred by any person who has committed certain violations of the Animal Welfare Act;WEB,weblink Cayley Urenko, Va. lawmaker proposes bill to establish an Animal Cruelty Convictions List, NBC 12, January 15, 2020, November 29, 2020, December 12, 2020,weblink live, PRESS RELEASE,weblink Virginia Victories for Animals, List of political action committees#Animals, Humane Dominion, Alexandria, Virginia, April 20, 2020, November 29, 2020, November 29, 2020,weblink dead, WEB,weblink SB 303 Dogs; import and sale from certain breeders, penalty., Virginia's Legislative Information System, November 29, 2020, December 9, 2020,weblink live, ban any sale or loan in which a default could result in the repossession of any cat or dog;WEB,weblink SB 742 Dogs or cats; rental or lease prohibited, civil penalty, exception., Virginia's Legislative Information System, November 29, 2020, December 10, 2020,weblink live, ban any hunt that guarantees the killing of a deer, bear, or wild turkey;WEB,weblink Ken Perrotte, Ken Perrotte: Proposed state bills would affect hunting, fishing, The Free Lance-Star, January 15, 2020, November 29, 2020, May 31, 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink Ken Perrotte, Ken Perrotte: DGIF considering name change, The Free Lance-Star, January 29, 2020, November 29, 2020, May 31, 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink Ken Perrotte, Ken Perrotte: A rundown of Virginia outdoor legislation, The Free Lance-Star, March 11, 2020, November 29, 2020, May 31, 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink SB 774 Big game hunting; guaranteed kills prohibited, penalty., Virginia's Legislative Information System, November 29, 2020, May 31, 2021,weblink live, ban any contact between the public and certain types of dangerous animals in captivity;WEB,weblink Amy Friedenberger, General Assembly notebook: Bill advances to prohibit employers from retaliating against workers who share wage information, The Roanoke Times, March 4, 2020, November 29, 2020, May 31, 2021,weblink live, PRESS RELEASE,weblink Virginia Bill Would Prohibit Public Contact with Wild Animals, Animal Welfare Institute, Washington D.C., Spring 2020, November 29, 2020, October 31, 2020,weblink live, WEB,weblink Danny Prater, Victory! Virginia Passes Law to End Cruel Tiger Cub Petting Encounters, PETA, April 15, 2020, November 29, 2020, December 19, 2020,weblink live, limit the circumstances in which any cat or dog is allowed to be leased or rented; and establish more detailed standards for animal shelters.WEB,weblink SB 786 Animal shelters; housing conditions., Virginia's Legislative Information System, November 29, 2020, December 9, 2020,weblink live, The law banning public contact with dangerous animals applies to any bear, cougar, jaguar, leopard,{{efn|Except for Clouded leopards, which are unregulated by the bill.}} lion, nonhuman primate, tiger, or hybrid of such animals; as first written, the bill would have applied to elephants as well, but before the bill passed, it was revised to exclude elephants.WEB,weblink SB 1030 Dangerous captive animal exhibits; definitions, penalty, effective date., Virginia's Legislative Information System, November 29, 2020, November 14, 2020,weblink live,

Civil rights

On March 8, 2019, Northam signed a bill repealing a minimum wage exemption that had applied to several jobs historically associated with black workers; a remnant of the Jim Crow era, the exemption had applied to shoe-shiners, ushers, doormen, concession attendants, and theater cashiers.NEWS,weblink Gregory S. Schneider, 'A rare position': Va. Gov. Ralph Northam could wind up with great power, months after almost resigning, The Washington Post, June 10, 2019, September 14, 2020, October 22, 2020,weblink live, WEB,weblink Daniel Berti, Virginia repeals 'Jim Crow' minimum wage exemptions, WHSV-TV, WHSV, March 8, 2020, September 15, 2020, September 16, 2020,weblink live, NEWS,weblink Christine Pulfrey, Jamie Rathjen, Michael Trimarchi, Jazlyn Williams, Midyear Brings Federal, State Changes for Payroll Professionals, Bloomberg News, June 17, 2019, September 15, 2020, September 16, 2020,weblink live, A month before signing this bill, Northam had faced scandals over racist content found in his college and medical school yearbooks and responded to calls for his resignation by pledging to prioritize racial justice issues throughout the remainder of his term in office. On June 4 of that year, he announced plans to continue repealing all discriminatory state laws that had been passed during the Jim Crow era. To identify those laws, he established the Commission to Examine Racial Inequity in Virginia Law, which formed with nine members on September 3.WEB,weblink Lia Tabackman, Gov. Northam chooses committee members to examine racial inequity in VA law, WTVR-TV, WTVR, September 4, 2019, September 15, 2020, September 16, 2020,weblink live, NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Virginia looks at scrapping defunct, racist laws still on the books, The Washington Post, December 5, 2019, September 15, 2020, September 16, 2020,weblink live, The commission was assisted by students from Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Richmond School of Law, and the University of Virginia School of Law. On December 5, the commission issued a report recommending the repeal of 98 laws, most of which had already become legally unenforceable.WEB,weblink Emily S. Rueb, Gov. Northam Plans to Purge Racist Language From Virginia Law, The New York Times, December 6, 2019, September 15, 2020, September 17, 2020,weblink live, WEB,weblink Cameron Thompson, Nearly 100 Virginia laws should be repealed over racial inequity, commission finds, WTVR, December 5, 2019, September 15, 2020, September 16, 2020,weblink live, The commission stated, "Though most of these pieces of legislation are outdated and have no legal effect, they remain enshrined in law. The Commission believes that such vestiges of Virginia's segregationist past should no longer have official status."Among the laws identified in the 2019 report were a ban on interracial marriage, a requirement that spouses be identified by race on marriage licenses,{{efn|This identification requirement used racially offensive terms and had remained in effect until October 2019, when it was ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge.WEB,weblink Zach Armstrong, Bill removing race requirement in Virginia marriage records passes, WHSV, March 2, 2020, September 16, 2020, September 21, 2020,weblink live, NEWS,weblink Rachel Weiner, 'Aryan' and 'Octoroon': Couples challenge racial labels to get married in Virginia, The Washington Post, September 6, 2019, September 16, 2020, September 12, 2020,weblink live,

• One month before that court ruling, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring had issued a policy allowing couples to opt-out of the racial identification requirement.NEWS,weblink Hannah Natanson, Virginia couples no longer have to disclose race on marriage license applications, state attorney general says, The Washington Post, September 14, 2019, September 16, 2020, September 24, 2019,weblink live, NEWS,weblink Rachel Weiner, Judge strikes down Virginia race requirement for marriage license as unconstitutional, The Washington Post, October 11, 2019, September 16, 2020, September 18, 2020,weblink live, }} policies that had been enacted to prevent school integration, requirements that neighborhoods, trains, playgrounds, and steamboats be racially segregated, and a poll tax.NEWS,weblink The Washington Post Editorial Board, It's well past time for Virginia to purge racist laws from its code, The Washington Post, December 13, 2019, September 16, 2020, August 25, 2020,weblink live, These laws were repealed in a bipartisan package of bills signed by Northam on April 11, 2020.WEB,weblink Governor Northam signs landmark legislation on historic justice, equity, WHSV, April 11, 2020, September 16, 2020, WEB,weblink CJ Paschall, Gov. Northam signs laws repealing discriminatory language still on the books in Virginia, WHSV, April 21, 2020, September 16, 2020,

On June 11 of that year, Northam authorized the commission to enter a new phase of research; this phase is focused on identifying modern laws and regulations that have contributed to social inequities in Virginia. The commission will also devise policies to remedy those inequities.WEB,weblink Gov. Northam expanding mission of commission to examine racial inequities in Virginia's laws, WTKR, June 11, 2020, September 18, 2020, Chief Deputy Attorney General of Virginia Cynthia Hudson, who chairs the commission, said about this second phase of work, "it's certainly not my expectation to find the expressly racist language and intent that we found in the Acts of Assembly from generations ago. So, the nature of the work will turn to trying to discern what the impact is from an equity perspective of current law that might not on its face appear discriminatory, but in its effect, disproportionately impacts people of color and other under-represented communities." Northam also signed legislation in 2020 establishing a separate commission tasked with studying the impacts of slavery and discrimination in Virginia.WEB,weblink Monique Calello, Examining racial inequity in Virginia law: Here are laws that are now in effect and those that are not, The News Leader, July 1, 2020, September 19, 2020, On March 4, 2020, Northam signed a bill making Virginia the fourth US state and first southern state to ban racial hair discrimination.WEB,weblink Kenya Evelyn, Virginia becomes first southern US state to ban hair discrimination, The Guardian, March 6, 2020, June 14, 2020, The bill passed with unanimous support in the state senate. Upon signing the bill, Northam remarked, "It's pretty simple - if we send children home from school because their hair looks a certain way, or otherwise ban certain hairstyles associated with a particular race - that is discrimination. This is not only unacceptable and wrong, it is not what we stand for in Virginia."WEB,weblink WHSV newsroom, Gov. Northam signs bill to ban hair discrimination in Virginia, WHSV, March 4, 2020, June 14, 2020, WEB,weblink Deb Belt, 32 New VA Laws: Segregation, Natural Hair Discrimination Targeted, Patch (website), Patch, March 4, 2020, June 14, 2020, WEB,weblink Saba Hamedy, It's official: Virginia is now the fourth state to ban hair discrimination, CNN, March 5, 2020, June 14, 2020, On April 11 of the same year, Northam signed the bipartisan Virginia Values Act, which applies anti-discrimination protections to public accommodations. Prior to the bill, Virginia had been one of five US states that did not have any such protections. The Virginia Values Act also updated Virginia's existing anti-discrimination laws to add protections on the bases of gender identity, sexual orientation, and veteran's status.WEB,weblink Pamela Stallsmith, Editorial: A welcoming Virginia, Richmond Times-Dispatch, March 1, 2020, June 14, 2020, WEB,weblink Polsinelli staff, Virginia Passes Significant Changes to State Employment Discrimination Law, JD Supra, April 18, 2020, June 14, 2020, An additional civil rights bill signed by Northam in 2020 established a process for the removal of racially exclusionary housing covenants from property deeds in Virginia; these covenants had been widely adopted throughout the United States in the early-twentieth century for the purpose of banning racial minorities from living in certain areas. Although all such covenants had become legally unenforceable in the 1960s, little had been done by 2020 to purge the covenants from official legal records. The bill signed by Northam in 2020 allows property owners to have the covenants removed without the need of an attorney.WEB,weblink Catherine Komp, House Adopts Bill Banning Racist Housing Covenants, WCVE-FM, February 6, 2020, December 7, 2020, NEWS,weblink Justin Wm. Moyer, Racist housing covenants haunt property records across the country. New laws make them easier to remove., The Washington Post, October 22, 2020, December 5, 2020, WEB,weblink HB 788 Restrictive covenants; deeds of reformation., Virginia's Legislative Information System, December 5, 2020, Later in the year, during a special legislative session largely devoted to racial justice issues, Northam signed a bill making it a hate crime in Virginia for someone motivated by bias against any protected group to make a false report to law enforcement.

Confederate monuments

{{Expand section|date=January 2021}}On the controversies over public monuments to the Confederacy, in June 2017 Northam stated that the statues in the state Capitol that the General Assembly has jurisdiction over "should be taken down and moved into museums", and that the decision on other statues "belongs to local communities." He has said that there should be more public memorials to historical Virginia civil rights leaders such as Barbara Rose Johns, Oliver Hill, and Samuel Wilbert Tucker. In August 2017, Northam took a firmer stance, saying, "I believe these statues should be taken down and moved into museums. As governor, I am going to be a vocal advocate for that approach and work with localities on this issue."NEWS,weblink McAuliffe has change of heart on Confederate statues, The Washington Post, Fenit, Nirappil, August 16, 2017, Northam later reverted to his original stance that decisions on the monuments should be made locally.WEB,weblink In the final sprint to Election Day, a historic push to turn out voters in Va., Gregory S., Schneider, Laura, Vozzella, Fenit, Nirappil, November 4, 2017, www.washingtonpost.com, NEWS,weblink Va. gubernatorial contenders clash over monuments, the economy in first TV debate, The Washington Post, Fenit, Nirappil, September 19, 2017, In early June 2020, Northam announced the removal of Robert E. Lee Monument on Richmond's Monument Avenue in response to Black Lives Matter protests after the murder of George Floyd.WEB,weblink Robert E Lee statue: Virginia governor announces removal of monument, June 4, 2020, BBC News,

Criminal justice

Felony larceny threshold

After Northam was elected governor, The Washington Post identified an opportunity for bipartisan legislation in raising Virginia's felony larceny threshold.NEWS, Gregory S. Scheider, December 25, 2017, Could a split Virginia House force delegates to get along? It's happened before.,weblink December 7, 2018, The Washington Post, Set at $200, the threshold was then tied with New Jersey for lowest in the nation.NEWS, Fenit Nirappil, November 5, 2017, Ready (or not) to choose Virginia's next governor? A guide to the race and issues.,weblink December 7, 2018, The Washington Post, NEWS, Laura Vozzella, January 9, 2018, Va. General Assembly convenes after weeks of drama, upheaval,weblink December 7, 2018, The Washington Post, The threshold's value had not been raised since 1980, and had it kept pace with inflation, would have been equal to around $600 in 2017.NEWS, Gregory S. Schneider, February 8, 2018, Northam, Republicans reach bipartisan deal on criminal justice reform bills,weblink December 7, 2018, The Washington Post, Outgoing governor Terry McAuliffe attempted during his final year in office to raise the threshold's value to $500 but was unable to advance such a proposal through the legislature.NEWS, Laura Vozzella, Justin Jouvenal, January 3, 2017, McAuliffe proposes criminal justice reforms,weblink December 7, 2018, The Washington Post, NEWS, Laura Vozzella, February 25, 2017, Virginia legislature gavels out after passing budget that closes $1.2 billion hole,weblink December 7, 2018, The Washington Post, During Virginia's 2017 gubernatorial campaign, Northam's opponent, Ed Gillespie, voiced support for the $500 threshold,NEWS, Gregory S. Schneider, September 6, 2017, Gillespie touts criminal justice reform beyond what GOP legislature has embraced,weblink December 7, 2018, The Washington Post, while both Northam and McAuliffe called for the threshold to be raised even further to $1,000, a value more closely aligned with the thresholds used in a majority of other states.In February 2018, about a month after his inauguration as governor, Northam struck a deal with the Republican-controlled legislature to raise the felony threshold to $500; in exchange, Northam gave support to Republican-sponsored legislation that would require criminal defendants seeking parole to first pay full restitution to victims.NEWS,weblink Washington Post editorial board, Virginia takes one small step toward fairer justice, The Washington Post, February 10, 2018, December 7, 2018, McAuliffe had vetoed a comparable restitution bill the previous year. The Washington Post{{'}}s editorial board called Northam's compromise "a small step toward fairer justice in Virginia", but voiced concern that the restitution bill would place an onerous burden on poor defendants; the editorial board also noted that the $500 threshold would still be one of the country's lowest and, when adjusted for inflation, under the level that had been set in 1980.On March 4, 2020, after Democrats won control of the Virginia state legislature, Northam signed a bill raising the felony larceny threshold to $1000.WEB,weblink Mel Leonor, Northam backs marijuana decriminalization, raising felony larceny threshold to $1,000, Richmond Times-Dispatch, January 3, 2020, June 20, 2020, WEB,weblink Amy Friedenberger, General Assembly notebook: Bills raising felony theft threshold, backing needle exchanges head to governor, The Roanoke Times, February 24, 2020, June 20, 2020, WEB,weblink Caleb Stewart, Va. governor signs law to double grand larceny threshold, WWBT, NBC 12, March 4, 2020, June 20, 2020, The Roanoke Times described this action as fulfilling one of Northam's "criminal justice reform priorities". Upon signing the bill, Northam said, "While we will continue to hold people accountable for their actions, it's important that the punishment fit the crime. This bill will bring Virginia in line with the majority of states in our country, modernizing our law to ensure that one mistake does not define a person's entire life."

Virginia's policy of suspending driver's licenses

During their respective gubernatorial campaigns, Northam and his opponent, Ed Gillespie, both criticized Virginia's practice of suspending driver's licenses for unpaid court-ordered fines and fees.NEWS,weblink Gregory S. Schneider, For the Democrat in the Va. governor's race, victory may hinge on black voters, The Washington Post, November 1, 2017, June 24, 2020, NEWS,weblink Fenit Nirappil, What Virginia's Governor-elect Ralph Northam (D) promised during his campaign, The Washington Post, November 23, 2017, January 22, 2020, Northam campaigned on an official end to this practice, while Gillespie wanted to "functionally end" the practice through the use of payment plans.{{efn|Although Northam's gubernatorial predecessor, Terry McAuliffe, shared Northam's stance on ending this practice,NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Gregory S. Schneider, McAuliffe enters final General Assembly session with eye on legacy, The Washington Post, January 7, 2017, June 24, 2020, the Republican-controlled legislature under McAuliffe was unreceptive to the idea.WEB,weblink Travis Fain, Without a driver's license and deep in debt to the courts, poor Virginians hope for fine collection reforms, Daily Press (Virginia), Daily Press, January 21, 2017, June 24, 2020, WEB,weblink Graham Moomaw, Approved bills aim to cut license suspensions for unpaid court costs, Daily Progress, March 5, 2017, June 24, 2020, McAuliffe signed a bill in May 2017 that made payment plans more accessible for people who owed these costs.NEWS,weblink Justin Wm. Moyer, More than 7 million people may have lost driver's licenses because of traffic debt, The Washington Post, May 19, 2018, June 24, 2020, WEB,weblink Travis Fain, McAuliffe signs bill on drivers license suspensions, Daily Press, May 25, 2017,weblink January 26, 2020, WEB,weblink Dean Seal, New law doesn't put automatic driver's license suspension issues to bed, critics say, Daily Progress, June 29, 2017, June 24, 2020, }} In the year Northam was elected governor, the Legal Aid Justice Center estimated that Virginia's policy of suspending driver's licenses for unmade payments had impacted around one million people.NEWS,weblink The Washington Post Editorial Board, Virginia is punishing the poor - and perpetuating their poverty, The Washington Post, February 5, 2018, June 25, 2020, NEWS,weblink The Washington Post Editorial Board, Gov. Northam's timely push to end Virginia's practice of punishing the poor, The Washington Post, December 29, 2018, June 24, 2020, At that time, Virginia was facing a class action lawsuit over this issue.NEWS,weblink Justin Wm. Moyer, Virginia driver's license suspensions 'trap' poor people in a 'nightmarish spiral,' lawsuit says, The Washington Post, September 12, 2018, June 24, 2020, While advocating for a repeal of the practice, Northam remarked, "Often, people don't pay court costs because they can't afford it. Suspending their license for these unpaid fees makes it that much harder on them." He argued that a repeal would make it easier for people to pay their debt, noting that people who are prevented from legally driving struggle to earn an income. Although The Washington Post noted that similar policies were facing scrutiny at that time throughout much of the United States,NEWS,weblink Justin Wm. Moyer, Virginia plans to end driver's license suspensions for court debt, governor says, The Washington Post, December 20, 2018, June 24, 2020, the publication also wrote that Virginia's policy was among the strictest in the nation, as Virginia was one of the few states where the debt-based suspension of driver's licenses was not limited to cases in which money was owed due to traffic violations.NEWS,weblink The Washington Post Editorial Board, Virginia wages war on the poor with driver's license suspensions, The Washington Post, July 13, 2016, June 24, 2020, In January 2019, the Virginia state Senate passed a bill that would have repealed the penalty of suspending driver's licenses for unpaid debt, but that February, a Republican-controlled subcommittee in the House of Delegates defeated the bill.NEWS,weblink Patricia Sullivan, Cigarette, vape buyers in Virginia may soon have to be 21, not 18, The Washington Post, February 12, 2019, June 25, 2020, NEWS,weblink The Washington Post Editorial Board, Virginia inexplicably killed a bill that could've helped thousands with suspended licenses, The Washington Post, February 18, 2019, June 25, 2020, In March of that year, a repeal of this penalty was included by Northam as an amendment to the state budget.NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Rachel Weiner, Northam amends motorist measures with 'race inequities' in mind, The Washington Post, March 26, 2019, June 25, 2020, The penalty could not be fully repealed by the budget. Instead, the budget was able to pause the penalty for one year.NEWS,weblink Justin Wm. Moyer, Va. driver's licenses, suspended for unpaid court debt, to be reinstated July 1, The Washington Post, June 3, 2019, June 25, 2020, WEB,weblink Gabby Birenbaum, Northam touts opportunity to get suspended driver's licenses restored, Richmond Times-Dispatch, July 2, 2019, June 25, 2020, Virginia's legislature adopted Northam's proposed budget amendment, which also reinstated driver's licenses that had been suspended solely for unpaid debt.NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Ovetta Wiggins, Out with plastic straws, up with minimum wage and in with happy-hour ads as new laws take effect in Virginia, Maryland and the District, The Washington Post, June 28, 2019, June 25, 2020, WEB,weblink 13News Now Staff, Governor Northam launches tour to highlight driver's license reinstatements for Virginians, 13News Now, July 2, 2019, June 25, 2020, This occurred in the wake of a commitment from Northam to focus the remainder of his tenure on combating racial inequities in Virginia. The Washington Post{{'}}s editorial board found that Virginia's debt-based suspension of driver's licenses disproportionately impacted minorities and described the repeal of this policy as a priority for the state's Legislative Black Caucus.NEWS,weblink The Washington Post Editorial Board, Ralph Northam still hasn't explained the racist yearbook photo, The Washington Post, April 3, 2019, June 26, 2020, NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Antonio Olivo, Legislature sustains Northam's vetoes and backs major highway plan, despite scandal, The Washington Post, April 3, 2019, June 25, 2020, While developing that year's state budget, Northam was embroiled in scandals concerning racist content found in his college and medical school yearbooks. Explaining how the criticism he had faced over these scandals was informing his approach to the state budget, Northam said, "There's a level of awareness regarding race inequities in Virginia that we have never seen - that I have never seen in my lifetime. I am going to do everything...to really bring some good from the events that happened six weeks ago...Actions speak louder than words, and now is our opportunity over the next three years to really take action."In April 2020, after Virginia's General Assembly came under Democratic control and before the above-mentioned budget amendment was set to expire, Northam signed a bipartisan bill making the effects of the amendment permanent.WEB,weblink Amy Friedenberger, General Assembly notebook: Del. Wendell Walker's bill to take down Sen. Harry Byrd statue is dead, The Roanoke Times, February 7, 2020, July 1, 2020, WEB,weblink Dave Ress, Virginians will no longer have their driver's licenses suspended for unpaid court fines, The Virginian-Pilot, February 27, 2020, July 1, 2020, That same month, Northam signed separate legislation ending the suspension of driver's licenses in Virginia both for non-driving related drug offenses and for theft of motor fuel.NEWS,weblink Nick Sibilla, Virginia finally ends unjust driver's license suspensions, The Washington Post, June 5, 2020, July 1, 2020, He also repealed a mandatory minimum sentence of ten days that Virginia had been imposing on third or subsequent convictions of driving with a suspended license.PRESS RELEASE,weblink Victory: Virginia Ends Debt-Based Driver's License Suspensions, Fines & Fees Justice Center, New York City, April 13, 2020, July 1, 2020, WEB,weblink Legal Aid Justice Center staff, @LegalAidJustice, Twitter, April 11, 2020, July 2, 2020, WEB,weblink Jennifer McClellan, SB 711 eliminating the mandatory minimum 10 day jail term for a third or subsequent conviction of driving on a suspended license;, My Legislation, JenniferMcClellan.ngpvanhost.com, July 2, 2020, Virginia was among the first US states to end the practice of suspending driver's licenses for outstanding debt but was the 45th state to end the practice of suspending driver's licenses for non-driving related drug offenses.

Limited reinstatement of parole

During Virginia's 2020 legislative session, there was discussion among the General Assembly's newly Democratic majority about the possibility of fully reinstating parole, which had been abolished by the state in 1995 under then-governor George Allen.NEWS,weblink Justin Jouvenal, Advocates see best opportunity to enact liberal criminal justice reform in Va. in a generation, The Washington Post, December 26, 2019, September 20, 2020, NEWS,weblink Antonio Olivo, Virginia abolished parole 25 years ago. Now efforts to restore it are advancing., The Washington Post, February 1, 2020, September 20, 2020, WEB,weblink Courteney Stuart, General Assembly weighs criminal justice reform bills, WCAV, February 17, 2020, September 20, 2020, Only prisoners sentenced before 1995 or under a youthful offender statute{{efn|This applies to some first-time offenders who are sentenced while under the age of twenty-one and who are not convicted of Class 1 felonies.}} remained eligible for parole after the enactment of the 1995 ban, unless they qualified for geriatric parole, which was not abolished.WEB,weblink Daniel Nichanian, Virginia Makes All Children Eligible for Parole, a Major Shift for This Punitive State, The Appeal, February 24, 2020, September 26, 2020, WEB,weblink Emma Gauthier, Anna Madigan, While paroles are up in Virginia, they remain rare, Associated Press, The Associated Press, December 17, 2019, September 26, 2020, WEB,weblink Mel Leonor, Northam backs marijuana decriminalization, raising felony larceny threshold to $1,000, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, January 3, 2020, September 21, 2020, Northam's administration argued that Virginia's parole ban had exacerbated the state's racial inequities, led to an increase in elderly inmates receiving costly medical care at the state's expense, and strained the state's prison capacities. A full repeal of the ban was not approved in 2020, although legislation signed by Northam that year reinstated parole in limited circumstances.WEB,weblink Ned Oliver, The criminal justice reform agenda Virginia Democrats deferred to 2021, Virginia Mercury, June 3, 2020, September 20, 2020, WEB,weblink Denise Lavoie, Some disappointed by Virginia's criminal justice reform push, Associated Press, The Associated Press, February 13, 2020, September 25, 2020, One of these circumstances addressed certain prisoners sentenced during the first five years of the parole ban.WEB,weblink Laura McFarland, Northam Takes Action on Controversial Bills, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, April 15, 2020, October 3, 2020, Before the 2000 state Supreme Court case Fishback v. Commonwealth ruled that juries in Virginia must be informed of the state's parole ban, many juries in Virginia had been unaware of the ban.{{efn|Due to legal ambiguity predating Fishback v. Commonwealth, between 1995 and 2000, some juries in Virginia were told about the state's parole ban while others were not.WEB,weblink Alanna Durkin, Virginia eyes new sentences after juries didn't get key fact, The Seattle Times, December 31, 2015, September 21, 2020, }} Prisoners sentenced by these uninformed juries came to be known as the "Fishback inmates".WEB,weblink Margaret Matray, Two bills would allow Virginia inmates sentenced by misinformed jurors a chance at parole, The Virginian-Pilot, January 16, 2019, September 21, 2020, WEB,weblink Marie Albiges, 300 Virginia inmates — some serving life — could soon be eligible for parole for the first time, The Virginian-Pilot, January 21, 2020, September 25, 2020, WEB,weblink Frank Green, Parole eligibility under way for juvenile offenders sentenced to life without parole, The Daily Progress, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, August 21, 2020, September 21, 2020, Virginia remained at the time one of the few states where juries could determine sentencing, and in some cases, an uncorrected misconception among juries that parole still existed in Virginia increased the length of sentences imposed on these inmates. As the court's ruling in Fishback v. Commonwealth had no effect on already imposed sentences, it granted no relief to the Fishback inmates. After Northam took office, it was estimated that around 300 of these inmates remained imprisoned, a small portion of them for non-violent felonies.NEWS,weblink Gregory S. Schneider, Laura Vozzella, Va. General Assembly takes flurry of historic legislation down to wire, The Washington Post, March 8, 2020, September 25, 2020, An effort to extend parole eligibility to the Fishback inmates was undertaken by Northam's gubernatorial predecessor, Terry McAuliffe, but McAuliffe was unable to earn support for such a measure in the state's legislature.NEWS,weblink Jenna Portnoy, Laura Vozzella, Matt Zapotosky, McAuliffe creates commission to study bringing parole back to Virginia, The Washington Post, June 24, 2015, October 16, 2020, Northam continued that effort unsuccessfully for the first two years of his own governorship before achieving results in 2020.WEB,weblink Marie Albiges, Lawmakers give 300 Virginia inmates their first chance at parole, The Virginian-Pilot, February 12, 2020, September 25, 2020, Under reform signed by Northam that year, all Fishback inmates still incarcerated became eligible for parole, except for those who had been convicted of a Class 1 felony or the sexual abuse of a minor.WEB,weblink SB 793 Parole; exception to limitation on the application of parole statutes., Virginia's Legislative Information System, September 25, 2020, By the time Northam signed this bill, the cause of the Fishback inmates had largely won favor among prosecutors in Virginia, according to the Association of Commonwealth's Attorneys. In April of that year, responding to the COVID-19 health pandemic, the Virginia General Assembly adopted an "emergency clause" amendment proposed by Northam to grant parole eligibility to Fishback inmates immediately; new bills are usually enacted on July 1 of each year.NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Northam freezes new spending in the state budget amid coronavirus pandemic, The Washington Post, April 12, 2020, September 25, 2020, WEB,weblink Pamela Stallsmith, Robin Beres, Chris Gentilviso, Editorial: COVID-19 and Public Safety: A Q&A with Brian Moran, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, April 25, 2020, September 25, 2020, NEWS,weblink Gregory S. Schneider, Laura Vozzella, Virginia lawmakers freeze spending plan as uncertainties of pandemic continue, The Washington Post, April 22, 2020, September 25, 2020, Another piece of parole reform enacted by Northam in 2020 concentrates on juvenile offenders.NEWS,weblink The Washington Post Editorial Board, Virginia finally recognizes that children jailed for life deserve at least a chance for parole, The Washington Post, February 27, 2020, September 20, 2020, At the start of Northam's governorship, Virginia law denied parole eligibility to nearly all juvenile offenders sentenced as adults after 1995.WEB,weblink Virginia Abolishes Life Without Parole for Children, Equal Justice Initiative, February 25, 2020, September 20, 2020, Only those sentenced under a youthful offender statute still qualified. This put Virginia in conflict with the 2012 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Miller v. Alabama, which ruled that mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole are an unconstitutional penalty for juvenile offenders. By 2020, several other states had already adjusted their laws to be compliant with Miller. Virginia's refusal to do so before 2020 led The Washington Post{{'}}s editorial board to write that Virginia had failed during the preceding years to respect the decision. On February 24, 2020, Northam signed bipartisan legislation making all Virginia inmates convicted as juveniles eligible for parole after serving twenty years of their sentences. This made Virginia the 23rd state to prohibit life sentences without the possibility of parole for juvenile offenders.A plan to expand geriatric release was also included in Northam's 2020 agenda for criminal justice reform.WEB,weblink Mike Murillo, Va. governor unveils criminal justice reform plans for 2020, WTOP, January 3, 2020, October 1, 2020, WEB,weblink Dave Ress, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam says it's time to decriminalize marijuana possession, Daily Press, January 3, 2020, October 1, 2020, WEB,weblink Frank Green, Virginia hopes to release some inmates at risk of complications from COVID-19; more might have been eligible had bills been passed, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, March 29, 2020, October 1, 2020, Under Virginia law, only prisoners older than sixty who have served at least ten years of their sentences or those older than sixty-five who have served at least five years of their sentences qualify for geriatric release.WEB,weblink FAMM Compassionate Release: Virginia, Families Against Mandatory Minimums, October 1, 2020, In 2020, Virginia's legislature considered, but did not pass, a bill backed by Northam that would have created two additional categories of inmates eligible for geriatric release: those older than fifty-five who have served at least fifteen years of their sentences and those older than fifty who have served at least twenty years of their sentences.Before 2020, the Virginia Parole Board could not use terminal illness as a reason to release inmates, although it could advise the governor on offering Executive Medical Clemency to certain inmates estimated to have less than three months to live.WEB,weblink Marie Albiges, Virginia could save millions by letting more old and sick prisoners free, audit says, The Virginian-Pilot, November 20, 2018, October 1, 2020, This compassionate release policy for terminally ill inmates was the second most restrictive in the country,{{efn|Kansas has the most restrictive compassionate release policy for terminally ill patients in the country; the Kansas policy is only available to inmates estimated to have one month or less to live.}} and Virginia remains the only state that does not tailor any form of early release to inmates with complex, nonterminal illnesses or permanent disabilities. A bill to establish parole for inmates who are terminally ill or permanently incapacitated was supported by Northam during Virginia's regular legislative session for 2020 and passed in the state Senate but was not passed in the House of Delegates. Later in the year, Northam called a special legislative session partially devoted to criminal justice reform, and during this session, on October 28, he signed a bill allowing the parole board to grant conditional release to terminally ill inmates estimated to have less than twelve months to live; the bill largely excludes inmates convicted of violent crimes.NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Ban on chokeholds, no-knock warrants among bills Northam signed into law, The Washington Post, October 28, 2020, January 15, 2021, WEB,weblink Ned Oliver, Senate Democrats release six-point plan for criminal justice reform in Virginia, House Dems plan hearings, Virginia Mercury, June 26, 2020, January 15, 2021, WEB,weblink Ned Oliver, Every criminal justice reform that passed in Virginia after George Floyd's death, Virginia Mercury, November 11, 2020, January 15, 2021, WEB,weblink SB 5018 Terminally ill prisoners; conditional release., Virginia's Legislative Information System, January 15, 2021,

Sentencing and prison reform

Although early in his governorship, Northam signed a bill imposing a new mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison for those convicted of murdering a police officer, in May 2019, he vowed not to sign any further legislation imposing mandatory minimum sentences. In an op-ed for The Washington Post, he argued that such legislation is racially discriminatory and leads to over-incarceration.A year later, Northam signed a law exempting juveniles tried as adults in Virginia from mandatory minimum sentences.WEB,weblink Brian Evans, It's Not All Bad. Really..., Campaign for Youth Justice, March 13, 2020, July 6, 2020, WEB,weblink Brian Evans, 2020: Good Bills, Insufficient COVID-19 Response, Campaign for Youth Justice, April 27, 2020, July 6, 2020, WEB,weblink Vivian Watts, Vivian Watts: Justice system reforms will help protect children, The Virginian-Pilot, May 6, 2020, July 6, 2020, That same year, he enacted further reform for juveniles in the Virginia justice system by signing a bill that requires judicial approval for anyone under the age of sixteen to be tried as an adult; Virginia law had previously given prosecutors the discretion to charge anyone fourteen years or older as an adult.WEB,weblink Daniel Nichanian, Virginia Takes a Big Step Against Criminalizing Poverty, Tides Foundation, The Appeal, April 17, 2020, July 1, 2020, NEWS,weblink Laura Taylor, Gov. Northam signs criminal justice reform laws and proposes study on legalizing marijuana, WSET-TV, April 12, 2020, July 1, 2020, WEB,weblink Andrew Block, Commentary: Judges should decide whether youths are tried as adults, The Free Lance-Star, February 5, 2020, July 6, 2020, In December 2019, Northam directed the Virginia Department of Corrections to suspend a policy that had allowed strip-searches to be performed on minors during prison visitations.WEB,weblink Gary A. Harki, Virginia Gov. Northam suspends policy that allowed 8-year-old girl to be strip searched, says he was "deeply disturbed", The Virginian-Pilot, December 6, 2019, January 26, 2021, WEB,weblink Brakkton Booker, Virginia Governor Suspends Policy Allowing Strip Searches Of Children At Prisons, NPR, December 6, 2019, January 26, 2021, In April 2020, he signed legislation making the suspension of that policy permanent and barring prisons from threatening permanent bans on visitors who refuse to be strip searched.WEB,weblink Gary A. Harki, Ban on strip searches of children in Virginia prisons passes state Senate unanimously, The Virginian-Pilot, January 29, 2020, January 26, 2021, WEB,weblink Gary A. Harki, After Virginia prisons strip searched an 8-year-old, state lawmakers passed 4 bills to limit the practice, The Virginian-Pilot, March 10, 2020, January 26, 2021, WEB,weblink HB 1544 Children; strip searches., Virginia's Legislative Information System, January 26, 2021, WEB,weblink SB 1089 Correctional facilities, state; strip searches of those entering a facility., Virginia's Legislative Information System, January 26, 2021, Although it had already been against the policy of the Virginia Department of Corrections to permanently ban visitors who refuse to be strip searched, there had been several instances of prisons threatening such bans.Another reform signed into law by Northam in 2020 allows judges to dismiss misdemeanor or non-violent felony charges against defendants with autism or an intellectual disability when the court determines that the defendant's criminal conduct was linked to such a disorder or disability and after the defendant has completed a period of probation.WEB,weblink Frank Green, Bills to protect criminal defendants and inmates with autism pending in Va. legislature, Richmond Times-Dispatch, February 13, 2020, December 6, 2020, WEB,weblink C.H. "Chuck" Slemp III, New criminal procedure laws take effect July 1, Wise County, Virginia#Newspapers, The Coalfield Progress, June 17, 2020, December 6, 2020, AV MEDIA,weblink How a Black autistic man is serving 10 years in prison for a car crash, The Washington Post, video, 15:14-16:08, September 10, 2020, December 6, 2020, WEB,weblink SB 133 Criminal cases; deferred disposition., Virginia's Legislative Information System, December 6, 2020, That same year, Northam signed a bill tasking the Virginia Department of Corrections with developing accommodations for people with developmental disabilities.WEB,weblink HB 659 People with developmental disabilities; DOC to create workgoup to review guidelines to assist., Virginia's Legislative Information System, December 7, 2020, Two bills expanding credit programs for Virginia inmates were signed by Northam in 2020. The first of these allows Virginia inmates to pay fines and court costs with community service credits earned during incarceration. Virginia law had previously allowed these credits to be earned only before or after incarceration.WEB,weblink Kyley Schultz, Simple possession of marijuana decriminalized in Virginia, prior conviction records now sealed, WUSA (TV), WUSA, April 16, 2020, October 29, 2020, WEB,weblink Matthew Fischer, Virginia governor signs criminal justice reform bills into law, JURIST, April 14, 2020, October 29, 2020, Northam signed the bill in March, saying that it would further prisoner rehabilitation and reintegration into society.WEB,weblink Elizabeth Tyree, Gov. Northam signs 68 bills, including ban on conversion therapy, into law, WSET, March 3, 2020, November 11, 2020, WEB,weblink live, New law allows inmates to work off fines, court costs, WAVY-TV, March 3, 2020,weblink November 15, 2020, May 31, 2021, NEWS,weblink Tyler Arnold, Northam signs bill to allow community work during incarceration, The Center Square, March 3, 2020, November 15, 2020, The second of these bills increases the amount of sentence credits that inmates can earn toward early release.NEWS,weblink Gregory S. Schneider, Laura Vozzella, Virginia lawmakers haggle over details of meeting in special legislative session, The Washington Post, August 18, 2020, October 18, 2020, WEB,weblink Marie Albiges, Portsmouth delegate wants to reform the system that gives model inmates a reduced sentence. Victims' groups are opposed., The Virginian-Pilot, September 1, 2020, October 18, 2020, NEWS,weblink Gregory S. Scneider, Ex-GOP legislator urges Va. delegates to back bill reducing prison sentences after serving his own for fraud, The Washington Post, September 9, 2020, October 18, 2020, WEB,weblink Amy Friedenberger, General Assembly sends batch of police and criminal justice reform bills to governor, The Roanoke Times, October 16, 2020, October 18, 2020, When Virginia abolished parole in 1995, it did so as part of a larger "truth in sentencing" initiative that also capped at fifteen percent the amount of time inmates could earn off their sentences through good behavior.WEB,weblink Frank Green, Bill that could lead to early prison releases for nonviolent offenders delayed for a year, Richmond Times-Dispatch, February 4, 2020, October 18, 2020, WEB,weblink Jackie DeFusco, Bill shortening prison sentences for good behavior excludes several inmates, WRIC-TV, September 9, 2020, October 18, 2020, The bill signed by Northam raises that cap, although only for certain inmates.WEB,weblink Ned Oliver, Thousands of Virginia prisoners could be released early under new earned sentence credit program, Virginia Mercury, October 26, 2020, November 16, 2020, Those who qualify can have their sentences reduced by up to a third. Deferred during Virginia's regular legislative session for 2020, the bill was passed and signed later that year, when Northam called a special session partially devoted to revisiting criminal justice reform.NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Ban on chokeholds, no-knock warrants among bills Northam signed into law, The Washington Post, October 28, 2020, November 16, 2020, During that same special session, Northam signed a bill allowing defendants convicted by juries in Virginia of non-capital offenses to have their sentences determined by judges. Prior to this bill, juries in Virginia were responsible for determining the sentences of anyone they convicted, and judges rarely exercised their ability to revise jury sentences. The bill signed by Northam gives anyone convicted by a jury in Virginia of a non-capital offense the option to choose between having their sentence determined by a jury or by a judge.WEB, Dujardin, Peter, Virginia bill to take sentencing out of juries' hands passes state Senate,weblink September 11, 2020, October 15, 2021, dailypress.com, WEB, Oliver, Ned, October 17, 2020, Virginia lawmakers vote to reform 224-year-old jury sentencing law,weblink October 15, 2021, Virginia Mercury, en-US, WEB, Dujardin, Peter, Virginia lawmakers pass 'revolutionary change' largely taking criminal sentencing decisions out of juries' hands,weblink October 15, 2021, dailypress.com, October 21, 2020, NEWS, Weiner, Rachel, Vozzella, Laura, October 23, 2020, 'Revolutionary' criminal sentencing change passes in Virginia, en-US, The Washington Post,weblink October 15, 2021, 0190-8286, WEB, Lavoie, Denise, October 24, 2020, After 200 years, Virginia to let judges decide sentences,weblink October 17, 2021, ABC News, en, At the time of this reform, Virginia had been the only state in the country, aside from Kentucky, where juries were required{{efn|Jury sentencing is also used in Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas but is not mandatory in those states.}} to sentence anyone they convicted. This requirement had been part of Virginia law for over two hundred years. Most Virginia prosecutors opposed lifting the requirement, and the effort to do so failed during Virginia's regular legislative session for 2020, before nearly failing again during the special session. Lifting this requirement was one of the highest priorities during Northam's tenure in office for Virginia's criminal justice reform advocates, who noted that jury sentences are usually much longer than sentences determined by judges and that consequently, before jury sentencing was made optional in Virginia, defendants in the state often took plea deals to avoid jury sentences.Another bill signed by Northam during the 2020 special legislative session clarifies that prosecutors in Virginia are allowed to dismiss charges against defendants. This had previously been ambiguous under state law.{{efn|This bill ensures that prosecutors cannot dismiss charges for reasons of bribery or bias against victims.WEB,weblink HB 5062 Court authority in criminal cases; prosecutorial discretion to dispose of a criminal case., Virginia's Legislative Information System, October 24, 2021, }}

Death penalty

{{Expand section|date=October 2020}}Ralph Northam opposes the death penalty.WEB, Moomaw, Graham, At first debate, Northam calls Trump 'a dangerous man' as Gillespie says 'resistance' could hurt Virginia,weblink Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 4, 2018, July 23, 2017, Northam said he opposed the death penalty, and Gillespie said he supports it., On March 24, 2021, he signed a law abolishing the death penalty in Virginia.NEWS,weblink Virginia governor signs bill to abolish death penalty, BBC News, March 24, 2021,

Writs of actual innocence

Another reform enacted by Northam in 2020 eases the petition process for writs of actual innocence.WEB,weblink Jeff Williamson, Gov. Northam exploring legalizing marijuana in Virginia, signs criminal justice legislation, WSLS, April 12, 2020, October 5, 2020, WEB,weblinkweblink May 31, 2021, live, Governor announces criminal justice reform agenda for Virginia General Assembly session, Kingsport Times-News, July 6, 2020, October 5, 2020, Through this process, which Virginia established in 2004, newly available evidence is examined, and if found exonerating by a court, the petitioner's criminal record is expunged. In its original form, this process was available almost exclusively to petitioners who had pleaded not guilty at trial; among those who had pleaded guilty, the process could be used only by a petitioner who had received a death sentence or whose conviction permitted a life sentence. Prior to the reform enacted under Northam, any failed petition that had been based on nonbiological evidence could not be followed by a new petition also based on nonbiological evidence, and any successful petition had to be found by a court to contain "clear and convincing evidence" that the petitioner had been wrongfully convicted.WEB,weblink Frank Green, Bill easing hurdles to prove wrongful convictions advances, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, February 4, 2020, October 4, 2020, WEB,weblink Groundbreaking New Law in Virginia Removes Barrier to Proving Innocence, Innocence Project, April 13, 2020, October 5, 2020, WEB,weblink HB 974 Writ of actual innocence; petition by convicted person., Virginia's Legislative Information System, October 4, 2020, Under legislation signed by Northam, anyone is allowed to petition for a writ of actual innocence, regardless of how the petitioner pleaded at trial, petitioners are allowed to pursue writs of actual innocence any number of times through the presentation of new evidence that is either biological or nonbiological, and for any petition to succeed, it need only to be supported by "a preponderance of the evidence". By changing "clear and convincing evidence" to "a preponderance of the evidence", Virginia's standard for granting writs of actual innocence was lowered to conform with the standards employed by a majority of other states. An additional bill reforming the writs of actual innocence unanimously passed the state legislature in 2020 and was signed by Northam: it allows private laboratories to test DNA evidence when the Virginia Department of Forensic Science is unable to do so.WEB,weblink Eric Williamson, Innocence Project Helps Wrongfully Convicted Virginians Have Better Shot at Writ of Innocence, University of Virginia School of Law, April 14, 2020, October 5, 2020, WEB,weblink SB 1071 DNA; post-conviction testing., Virginia's Legislative Information System, October 5, 2020,

Police reform

In 2020, Northam signed the Virginia Community Policing Act, which bans the practice of bias-based profiling by Virginia police officers and requires those officers to collect demographic information during all traffic stops or investigatory stops that occur in the state. This same law requires all law enforcement agencies in Virginia to collect the number of excessive force complaints that they receive and to report all of this information into a statewide database. Findings from the database are to be shared annually with the Governor, the Attorney General, and the General Assembly.WEB,weblink Daniel Berti, Del. Luke Torian's new law on police profiling survives state budget 'timeout', Prince William Times, April 24, 2020, January 9, 2021, WEB,weblink Graham Moomaw, 'Bruised and broken:' As nation reels from unrest, Virginia leaders begin search for solutions, Virginia Mercury, June 2, 2020, January 9, 2021, WEB,weblink Rebecca Burnett, Community Policing Act to track traffic stops in Virginia, WRIC, July 1, 2020, January 9, 2021, WEB,weblink WY Daily Staff, New state law requires police to record demographics during traffic stops. Here's what's going on in the Historic Triangle, Williamsburg, Virginia#Media, WY Daily, July 8, 2020, January 9, 2021, WEB,weblink HB 1250 Virginia Community Policing Act; data collection and reporting requirement., Virginia's Legislative Information System, January 9, 2021, Later that year, Northam responded to the murder of George Floyd by convening a special legislative session largely devoted to criminal justice reform. During that session, Northam signed several bills enacting police reform in Virginia. These bills banned the use of chokeholds by officers in all situations except for when it is "immediately necessary to protect the law-enforcement officer or another person",WEB, Oliver, Ned, October 7, 2020, Virginia lawmakers vote to limit use of chokeholds by police, but reject outright ban,weblink October 24, 2021, Virginia Mercury, en-US, introduced a requirement that officers must intervene when witnessing other officers engaged in excessive force, made Virginia the third state–and the first since the killing of Breonna Taylor–to ban no-knock search warrants,WEB, Oliver, Ned, October 28, 2020, Virginia becomes third state to ban no-knock search warrants,weblink October 24, 2021, Virginia Mercury, en-US, NEWS, Schneider, Gregory S., December 7, 2020, Family of Breonna Taylor joins Virginia governor to highlight law banning no-knock search warrants, en-US, The Washington Post,weblink October 24, 2021, 0190-8286, WEB, Lavoie, Denise, December 7, 2020, Taylor's family praises Virginia ban on no-knock warrants,weblink October 24, 2021, AP NEWS, en, introduced requirements that officers be in uniform when serving search warrants and that most search warrants served at night receive authorization from a judge or magistrate,WEB, Cheslow, Daniella, December 8, 2020, Virginia Gov. Northam Signs 'Breonna's Law' Banning No-Knock Warrants,weblink October 24, 2021, NPR.org, en, WEB, Carlton, Brian, October 16, 2020, General Assembly Finally Approves 'No Knock' Warrants Ban,weblink October 24, 2021, Dogwood, en-US, banned officers from making traffic stops for various minor infractions or from conducting searches solely on the basis of smelling marijuana,WEB, Oliver, Ned, October 2, 2020, Virginia lawmakers pass bill limiting pretextual traffic stops, barring searches based on smell of marijuana,weblink October 24, 2021, Virginia Mercury, en-US, limited the forms of military equipment attainable by police departments, banned officers from having sexual relations with anyone in their custody, established Virginia's first statewide code of conduct for officers and a statewide, standardized training curriculum for officers, provided for the state-level decertification of officers who engage in misconduct,WEB, Oliver, Ned, July 23, 2020, Virginia police chiefs want to make it easier to banish bad cops from law enforcement,weblink October 26, 2021, Virginia Mercury, en-US, granted the state Attorney General the power to conduct investigations of local police departments, granted localities the right to establish civilian review boards with subpoena and disciplinary powers, and created what is known as the MARCUS Alert system, which provides for mental health professionals to accompany police officers who are responding to mental health crises.The restrictions placed on warrants apply only to search warrants and not to arrest warrants. The restrictions on traffic stops were enacted to reduce pretextual stops. The state's standardized training curriculum includes a focus on racial bias, mental illness, de-escalation, and crisis intervention. The civilian review boards are optional for localities and have oversight of police departments but do not have oversight of sheriff's departments.

Repeal of unconstitutional prohibitions

On March 4, 2020, Northam signed legislation repealing three Virginia laws that courts had already ruled to be unconstitutional: a law prohibiting the possession, consumption, or purchase of alcohol by anyone that a court rules to be a "habitual drunkard";WEB,weblink You can now have sex before marriage, swear in public and be a 'habitual drunkard' without breaking the law in Virginia, NBC 12, March 5, 2020, December 7, 2020, WEB,weblink Virginia lawmakers vote to repeal "habitual drunkard" law, WHSV3, February 19, 2020, December 7, 2020, a law prohibiting premarital sex;WEB,weblink Conor Lobb, Virginia fornication law repeal one step closer to law, Associated Press, The Associated Press, February 7, 2020, December 7, 2020, WEB,weblink Scottie Andrew, Rebekah Riess, A new bill could finally make it legal for unmarried people to have sex in Virginia, CNN, February 10, 2020, December 7, 2020, and a law prohibiting the public use of profanity.WEB,weblink Jordan Pascale, Centuries-Old Law Against Cursing In Public Repealed By Virginia Legislators, NPR, February 19, 2020, December 7, 2020, WEB,weblink Harmeet Kaur, Letting an F-bomb fly in public in Virginia used to cost you a $250 fine. Not anymore, CNN, February 21, 2020, December 7, 2020, Although none of these laws were enforced with regularity by 2020, each of them continued to be enforced to some extent either until or nearly until they were repealed.WEB,weblink Jane Harper, Virginia law allows people to legally be declared a drunk. Two-thirds are in Virginia Beach., Daily Press, April 7, 2019, December 8, 2020, WEB,weblink Ned Oliver, Virginia's 'habitual drunkard' law is dead, Virginia Mercury, August 2, 2019, December 8, 2020, In the same year that Northam repealed these laws, he also repealed Virginia's unconstitutional Jim Crow laws, which by that time, had already been long unenforced.WEB,weblink Veronica Stracqualursi, How Virginia has moved in a more progressive direction, from the bills it has passed, CNN, March 7, 2020, December 19, 2020, WEB,weblink Monique Calello, Examining racial inequity in Virginia law: Here are laws that are now in effect and those that are not, The News Leader, July 1, 2020, December 19, 2020, Virginia's law regulating "habitual drunkards", first introduced in the 1870s, was enforced until 2019, when it was ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.NEWS,weblink Anne E. Marimow, Court strikes down Virginia law for 'criminalizing an illness' in targeting homeless alcoholics, The Washington Post, July 17, 2019, December 8, 2020, Prior to that ruling, Virginia had been the only state aside from Utah suspending the drinking rights of people designated "habitual drunkards".WEB,weblink Denise Lavoie, Homeless jailed frequently under 'habitual drunkard' law, WHSV, May 17, 2018, December 8, 2020, Virginia law still allows courts to suspend the drinking rights of individuals convicted of drunk driving.WEB,weblink Jane Harper, Virginia's habitual drunkard law was recently declared unconstitutional. But that doesn't mean it's dead., The Virginian-Pilot, December 5, 2019, December 8, 2020, WEB,weblink HB 923 Alcoholic beverage control; interdiction of intoxicated driver, etc., Virginia's Legislative Information System, December 8, 2020, The "habitual drunkard" designation had often been used to jail homeless people in Virginia. Those who received this designation in Virginia and subsequently violated the associated restrictions placed upon them could face up to a year in jail and a maximum fine of $2,500. These same penalties applied to anyone with the aforementioned designation who appeared publicly intoxicated.{{efn|Under a separate law, anyone in Virginia can still be charged with a misdemeanor for public intoxication, but violation of this law cannot result in jail time.WEB,weblink Kyley Schultz, Here's how much swearing in public could cost you in Virginia, but maybe not for long, WUSA, January 31, 2020, December 17, 2020, WEB,weblink HB 1071 Profane swearing in public; removes the crime from Code., Virginia's Legislative Information System, December 17, 2020, }} In the final years before this law was overturned, it had been enforced primarily in Virginia Beach. The only other Virginia city that made significant use of the law in its final years had been Roanoke.Virginia's law banning fornication was ruled unconstitutional by the Virginia Supreme Court in 2005.WEB,weblink Joanna Grossman, Virginia strikes down state fornication law, CNN, January 25, 2005, December 15, 2020, WEB,weblink Casey Leins, Sex Before Marriage Is Now Legal in Virginia, U.S. News & World Report, March 5, 2020, December 15, 2020, At that time, CNN reported that the law "had not been enforced criminally against a consenting adult since the middle of the 19th century", although in 2014, The Virginian-Pilot reported that small numbers of people continued to be convicted of fornication in Virginia even after the aforementioned 2005 ruling.WEB,weblink Kathy Hieatt, Effort to strike Virginia's fornication law fails, The Virginian-Pilot, February 6, 2014, December 17, 2020, In 2020, Mark Levine, who introduced the bill to repeal the law, explained that 21st-century fornication charges generally resulted from plea deals or from instances in which the defendants were already charged with other crimes.According to The Washington Post, Virginia's law banning public profanity dates back to at least 1860.NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, It's a crime in Virginia to swear in public. A lawmaker says that's #@!#ing nuts., The Washington Post, December 15, 2017, December 15, 2017, CNN dates the law even earlier, to the late eighteenth century. Although the U.S. Supreme Court ruled such laws unconstitutional in 1971, Virginia's ban on public profanity continued to be enforced in rare instances up until the law was repealed in 2020. Before this law was repealed, public profanity had been a misdemeanor in Virginia and carried a maximum fine of $250.WEB,weblink Kyley Schultz, Yes, you can now legally swear in Virginia, WUSA, March 3, 2020, December 17, 2020, WEB,weblink John Hood, Virginia Senate votes to decriminalize swearing in public, WHSV, February 20, 2020, December 17, 2020, WEB,weblink Dave Ress, Stacy Parker, Virginia law banning swearing in public to be repealed, The Virginian-Pilot, February 20, 2020, December 17, 2020, The same classification and penalty had applied to Virginia's ban on fornication.WEB,weblink Max Smith, Criminal justice reforms, looser marijuana laws proposed in Va., WTOP, January 5, 2020, December 17, 2020,

Economy

Northam supports increasing Virginia's minimum wage, which at $7.25 an hour, has not surpassed the federally mandated level set in 2009.NEWS,weblink Fenit Nirappil, Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidates pitch $15 minimum wage, The Washington Post, March 9, 2017, February 6, 2019, NEWS,weblink Luz Lazo, Lori Aratani, After a two year fight, contract workers at National and Dulles airports win a pay increase, The Washington Post, April 19, 2017, February 7, 2019, While serving as lieutenant governor in 2014, Northam broke a tie in the Virginia state Senate, passing a bill that would have increased the state's minimum wage by increments.WEB,weblink Augusta Free Press staff, State Senate passes minimum wage increase, Augusta County, Virginia, Augusta Free Press, February 11, 2014, February 6, 2019, WEB,weblink Dave Ress, Nationwide wave of minimum wage increase proposals coming to Va., Daily Press, December 2, 2014, February 6, 2019, February 9, 2019,weblink dead, Under the bill, the state's minimum wage would have settled at $9.25 an hour, after two years.WEB,weblink Augusta Free Press staff, House committee kills minimum wage increase, Augusta Free Press, February 13, 2014, February 13, 2019, The measure was never enacted due to failing in the Virginia House of Delegates. Three years later, as a gubernatorial candidate, Northam proposed that Virginia set its minimum wage at an hour{{efn|Northam's Democratic primary opponent, Tom Perriello, had adopted the same position one day before Northam.}} and expressed plans to campaign as governor against Republican state legislators who continued to oppose a higher minimum wage. Northam has pointed to the costliness of transportation in rural parts of the state to dispute the notion that a $15 minimum wage is too high for those areas.INTERVIEW,weblink Ralph Northam, Tom Perriello, Lee Hockstader, Two Democratic hopefuls for Va. governor on schools, Metro and the minimum wage, The Washington Post, June 4, 2017, February 7, 2019, During Northam's first year as governor, he vetoed a bill passed by the Republican-controlled legislature that would have banned localized minimum wages for government contractors.NEWS,weblink Gregory S. Schneider, Laura Vozzella, Deja vu: Virginia House again approves Medicaid expansion, but Senate yet to act, The Washington Post, April 17, 2018, February 8, 2019, During his 2017 campaign for governor, Northam was endorsed by the Laborers' International Union of North America; the union praised Northam for his opposition to a "right-to-work" amendment to the Virginia state constitution.PRESS RELEASE,weblink LiUNA Endorses Ralph Northam for Virginia Governor,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170615152526weblink">weblink June 15, 2017, June 15, 2017, Northam criticized the partial repeal of the car tax under former Governor Jim Gilmore because of its impact on both K-12 and higher education, saying Virginia still has not recovered.NEWS,weblink Ryan, Butler, Interview with Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, Loudoun Tribune, April 20, 2017,weblink June 20, 2017, Northam "has called for phasing out the grocery tax on low-income people and ending business taxes in struggling rural areas."NEWS, Graham, Moomaw,weblink live, Northam and Gillespie clash over economy, taxes, Trump, Richmond Times-Dispatch, September 19, 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170920170129weblink">weblink September 20, 2017, He has called for a bipartisan reform commission to make recommendations on state tax policy.

Education

Northam supports funding public schools. Northam opposes publicly funding private schools.In August 2019, Northam established a commission to develop new guidelines for teaching African American history in Virginia. Explaining that his primary goal for the commission is to help Virginia students understand the ways that black oppression continued in America after slavery, Northam said, "I think a lot of us need to understand that concept a lot better and this needs to start with the education of our children. Black oppression is alive and well today, it's just in a different form."WEB,weblink Mechelle Hankerson, A governor-appointed commission begins work on improving black history education in Virginia, Virginia Mercury, October 29, 2019, January 10, 2021,

G3 initiative for state-funded tertiary education

While campaigning for governor, Northam proposed a plan for Virginia to offer free community college and workforce training to students in high-demand fields who commit to a period of public service.NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Northam rolls out plan for no-cost community college in Va. governor's race, The Washington Post, February 23, 2017, January 22, 2020, WEB,weblink Landon Shroder, RVA Mag Exclusive: Q&A with Democratic Candidate for Governor, Ralph Northam, RVA Magazine, August 29, 2017, January 22, 2020, Northam has called this plan "Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back", or "G3" for short, and as governor, he has included G3 as part of his two-year budget proposal, which will be considered in the 2020 legislative session.NEWS,weblink Hannah Natanson, Gov. Northam proposes making community college free for some job-seekers in Virginia, The Washington Post, December 12, 2019, January 22, 2020, For students participating in G3, the state of Virginia would cover educational expenses that remain after other forms of financial aid have been used; as such, G3 has been described as a "last-dollar" program. It would only be available to students from low-income and middle-income households; the estimated cut-off would be about 400% of the federal poverty level, although this could vary depending upon a household's overall ability to afford costs. While participating in G3, students would have to maintain at least a 2.0 GPA and would be required to have a three-year graduation plan. Only students eligible for in-state tuition would qualify for the program.WEB,weblink Mel Leonor, Northam seeks $145M to back free community college for qualifying students in high-demand fields, Richmond Times-Dispatch, December 12, 2019, January 22, 2020, According to Inside Higher Ed and The Free Lance-Star, G3 is one of the few free tuition programs in the United States available to students of all ages.WEB,weblink Madeline St. Amour, Free College With Grants for Basic Needs, Inside Higher Ed, January 8, 2020, January 24, 2020, WEB,weblink Adele Uphaus-Conner, Germanna president backs governor's tuition-free community college plan, The Free Lance-Star, December 12, 2019, January 24, 2020, Returning students, part-time students, and dual enrollment students are all allowed to participate in the program.PRESS RELEASE,weblink FAQ: Get a Skill, Get a Job, Give Back (G3), Associated General Contractors of America, Associated General Contractors of Virginia, Glen Allen, Virginia, January 26, 2020, January 26, 2020,weblink dead, Under G3, the cost of tuition, fees, and books would all be covered, and students receiving Pell Grants would qualify for additional aid. Community colleges would earn a $500 financial incentive for each of their G3-participating students receiving a full Pell Grant who completes 30 credits, and an additional $400 financial incentive would be earned by the community college once each of those same students completes an associate degree.There are no fixed fields of study that would be included within the G3 program; rather, different fields of study could be included on a changing basis, as determined by economic projections and employer needs. Cybersecurity, coding, clean energy, early childhood education, health care, public safety, and skilled trades are some of the fields of study identified for inclusion.Students participating in G3 would be required to fulfill two hours{{efn|Northam's original proposal for G3, made during his gubernatorial campaign, would have required participating students to perform one year of paid public service.NEWS,weblink Fenit Nirappil, Biden says a Northam victory in Virginia governor's race would 'give people hope', The Washington Post, October 14, 2017, January 26, 2020, }} of public service, community service, or work experience for each of their academic credit hours. This requirement could be fulfilled through taking a position with local or state government, joining a nonprofit organization, or working in one of Virginia's economically depressed regions.

Environment and energy

Northam accepts the scientific consensus on climate change and as a candidate for governor vowed to lead efforts to fight climate change. He pledged, if elected, to bring Virginia into the United States Climate Alliance, a multi-state agreement to uphold greenhouse gas emissions standards.NEWS, Fenit, Nirappil,weblink Va. Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls vow to defy Trump on climate change, The Washington Post, June 2, 2017, Northam has emphasized the negative effects of climate-change-induced sea level rise on Virginia's Tidewater region.During his 2017 campaign for governor, Northam pledged if elected to continue implementing the total maximum daily load limits for nitrogen and phosphorus discharges into Chesapeake Bay, a policy that had reduced harmful algal blooms. Northam said he would continue this policy even if the federal government under Donald Trump cut or eliminated funding for the program. During his campaign, Northam was endorsed by the Virginia League of Conservation Voters and the Virginia Sierra Club.NEWS, Robert, Zullo,weblink live, At Virginia gubernatorial forum on clean water, not much daylight between candidates, Richmond Times-Dispatch, September 6, 2017,weblink November 21, 2020, Northam has offered conditional support for the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline, provided that the pipeline's construction is deemed to be environmentally safe.NEWS, Gregory S., Schneider,weblink Dominion letter shows why staying neutral on pipeline project could help Northam, The Washington Post, May 16, 2017, He has avoided taking a firm stance on other pipelines such as the Mountain Valley Pipeline.NEWS, Carmen, Forman,weblink live, Northam, Perriello clash over pipelines, taxes at Roanoke debate, Roanoke Times, May 4, 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170505063546weblink">weblink May 5, 2017, He opposes both offshore drilling and fracking.Northam has supported the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). In 2019, he vetoed a bill that would have prohibited Virginia from entering into the initiative, but in May 2019, he chose not to veto language in the state budget that prohibits spending related to the initiative, because under Virginia law, governors are generally not allowed to issue line-item vetoes of the state budget. According to The Washington Post, had Northam issued the veto, it could have been challenged in court by the Republican-controlled legislature, and Northam wanted to avoid a long legal confrontation. Northam has said that he will seek to implement RGGI spending in future budgets.NEWS, Schneider, Gregory S., Northam retains GOP language in budget to keep Va. out of carbon-reduction plan,weblink The Washington Post, May 7, 2019, May 2, 2019, In September 2019, Northam signed an executive order establishing a goal for the commonwealth to produce at least 30 percent of its energy from renewable sources in 10 years, a 23 percent improvement on the amount produced at the time he signed the order.WEB,weblink Northam executive order seeks 30 percent renewable energy in 10 years; critics decry costs, Arnold, Tyler, September 18, 2019, The Center Square, September 19, 2019, In addition to this, Northam set the goal for the state of Virginia to produce 100 percent of its electricity from carbon-free sources by 2050.WEB,weblink Virginia governor sets renewable energy goal of 100 percent by 2050, September 17, 2019, PBS NewsHour, Sarah, Rankin, The Associated Press, September 19, 2019,

Family leave and child care

When Northam was inaugurated as governor, the family leave policy for executive branch employees in the state of Virginia applied exclusively to employees who had given birth and offered only partial pay. In June 2018, Northam signed an executive order extending the policy to apply to both mothers and fathers, including not only biological parents but also adoptive and foster parents. Under the new policy, employees receive eight weeks off at full pay.NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, With executive order, Va. governor expands paid family leave for state employees, The Washington Post, June 26, 2018, June 30, 2018, Earlier in the year, then-Speaker of the House of Delegates Republican Kirk Cox had established a similar policy offering legislative branch employees twelve weeks of paid leave.NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Va. Republican House leader backs expanded family leave as party seeks to rebrand, The Washington Post, December 15, 2017, February 13, 2019, With regards to private sector employees, Northam has said that he wants to implement tax credits for small businesses that offer paid family leave.NEWS,weblink Fenit Nirappil, Pragmatism vs. populism at cordial final debate in Va. Democratic gubernatorial race, The Washington Post, March 28, 2017, February 13, 2019, In 2018, Northam formed a commission to study the possibility of offering child care to state employees in Richmond. Northam's wife, Pam, serves on the panel.

Guns

While campaigning for governor, Northam called for new gun control measures in Virginia and often spoke about the issue within the context of his experience treating gunshot victims.NEWS,weblink Fenit Nirappil, Northam: "We do not need assault weapons on our streets", The Washington Post, October 3, 2017, September 12, 2020, He then made gun control a priority during his administration. In the 2019 legislative session, Northam introduced gun control measures that failed in the Republican-controlled General Assembly.NEWS, Veronica, Stracqualursi,weblink Virginia governor signs background checks, 'red flag' and other gun control bills into law, CNN, April 10, 2020, After a mass shooting in Virginia Beach that killed 12 people, Northam convened a special legislative session to reconsider gun control legislation, but the General Assembly adjourned after 90 minutes without considering any bills.NEWS, Gregory S., Schneider, Laura, Vozzella, Antonio, Olivo,weblink Gun debate ends abruptly in Virginia as GOP-controlled legislature adjourns after 90 minutes, The Washington Post, July 9, 2020, NEWS, Campbell, Robertson,weblink A Gun-Focused Special Session in Virginia Ends Abruptly, The New York Times, July 9, 2020, Gun-control measures were then central to the Democratic platform during Virginia's 2019 legislative midterm elections.NEWS, Gregory S., Schneider,weblink October 31, 2021, Va. governor signs gun-control laws, delivering on Democrats' campaign promises, The Washington Post, April 10, 2020, Democrats won control of both chambers in the state legislature during those elections, and in April 2020, Northam signed a package of five gun control measures into law. The package included universal background checks for gun sales in Virginia; a limit of one-per-month on the purchase of handguns; a requirement for the loss or theft of a firearm to be reported within 48 hours (with a civil penalty of up to $250 for failure to report); an increase in penalties for reckless storage of loaded and unsecured firearms in a way that endangers children under 14 years of age; and an extreme risk protection order (red flag) bill, which provides for a procedure for the temporary removal of guns from people at high risk of self-harm or harm to others. Two additional gun-control bills signed that year include amendments proposed by Northam: one of those bills requires evidence that anyone subject to a protective order has surrendered their firearms within twenty-four hours and was amended so that those who fail to comply would be found in contempt of court;WEB,weblink Jonathan Yglesias, Justin Lingenfelter, How Virginia's new gun laws will reduce intimate partner homicide, Virginia Mercury, April 16, 2020, September 11, 2020, WEB,weblink Governor Northam signs gun safety legislation, WDBJ, July 9, 2020, September 1, 2020, the other bill, which allows for municipal regulations of firearms in public buildings, parks, recreation centers, and during public events, was amended to create an exemption for institutions of higher learning.NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Ovetta Wiggins, Virginia's new laws on LGBT rights, guns and abortion reflect state's political makeover., The Washington Post, July 1, 2020, September 11, 2020, The package of gun control legislation supported by Northam in 2020 included an eighth bill that did not pass: it would have banned assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, trigger activators,{{efn|Under President Trump, the executive branch of the federal government issued a ban against trigger activators. Several states have sought to codify their own bans on the devices, so as not to be reliant on federal policy.WEB,weblink Amy Friedenberger, Bills on lost or stolen firearms, trigger activators advance in General Assembly, The Roanoke Times, February 26, 2020, September 11, 2020, }} and silencers.WEB,weblink Kelly Mena, Virginia assault weapons ban stalls in state Senate, CNN, February 17, 2020, September 11, 2020, The ban on assault weapons would not have applied to firearms already owned in Virginia.The bill limiting handgun purchases to one-a-month reinstates a law that had been repealed in 2012 under then-governor Bob McDonnell; it had originally been passed in 1993 under then-governor Douglas Wilder.WEB,weblink The Roanoke Times Editorial Board, Editorial: How the politics of one-gun-a-month have changed. And how they haven't., The Roanoke Times, January 14, 2020, September 12, 2020, WEB,weblink Amy Friedenberger, Democrats push first batch of gun control bills out of Senate committee, The Roanoke Times, January 13, 2020, September 12, 2020, Virginia was the nineteenth state to pass a red flag law.WEB,weblink Jennifer Mascia, Daily Bulletin: The VA's New Effort to Reduce Veteran Suicides, The Trace (website), The Trace, April 14, 2020, September 12, 2020,

Healthcare

Northam supports the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"), although he has argued that it is in need of improvement.NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, In first debate, Gillespie and Northam tangle over Trump and other issues, The Washington Post, July 22, 2017, August 16, 2017, WEB,weblink This Democrat's ad shows Republicans crushing Obamacare. Literally., Fenit, Nirappil, May 4, 2017, www.washingtonpost.com, After Republican attempts to repeal the law, Northam called for members of Congress to "put a stop to the uncertainty and work on stabilizing and building on the Affordable Care Act's progress."NEWS,weblink Trump's decision to cut ACA payments elevates health care in Virginia governor's race, The Washington Post, October 13, 2017, Fenit, Nirappil, Northam opposes a single-payer healthcare system in Virginia, preferring that such a plan be run by the federal government, but supports the creation of a state-run public health insurance option.On February 21, 2019, Northam signed a bipartisan bill raising the smoking age in Virginia from 18 to 21.NEWS,weblinkweblink dead, February 22, 2019, Virginia gov signs ban on people under 21 buying tobacco, The Washington Post, The Associated Press, February 21, 2019, February 22, 2019, {{efn|Military service members are exempted from the bill.WEB,weblink Max Smith, Virginia Gov. Northam signing bills as he tries to get beyond blackface scandal, WTOP, March 4, 2019, March 5, 2019, }}As governor, Northam has proposed a state budget that would direct $22 million towards closing the racial disparity in Virginia's maternal mortality rate.NEWS,weblink Gregory S. Schneider, Northam proposes spending to stop black women from dying in childbirth, The Washington Post, December 9, 2019, January 3, 2020, WEB,weblink Mechelle Hankerson, Three things Northam wants to do to lower maternal mortality rates, Virginia Mercury, December 9, 2019, January 3, 2020, The plan developed by Northam would aim to eliminate the disparity by 2025.WEB,weblink Katie O'Connor, Northam announces 2025 goal to eliminate racial disparity in pregnancy-related deaths, Virginia Mercury, June 5, 2019, January 3, 2020, It would also aim to reduce infant mortality in Virginia. Northam's proposed funding would allow women who qualify for Medicaid solely because of pregnancy to remain covered for a full year after childbirth – Virginia's current policy allows such coverage to last for sixty days after childbirth – and would allow Medicaid to cover home visitation services for new mothers. Other initiatives that would be covered by the funding include expanding access to contraceptives for poor women in Virginia and expanding access to addiction treatment for mothers in the state. Northam has also suggested allowing doulas to be covered by Medicaid in Virginia.

Medicaid expansion

On June 7, 2018, Northam signed a bipartisan bill expanding Medicaid in Virginia.NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Northam signs Medicaid expansion into law on steps of Virginia Capitol, The Washington Post, June 7, 2018, October 7, 2018, This fulfilled one of his central campaign promises.NEWS,weblink Rural legislator from southwest Va. breaks the 'Republican Dam' for Medicaid expansion, Laura Vozzella, February 15, 2018, The Washington Post, October 7, 2018, WEB,weblink Matthew Yglesias, Virginia's state Senate just voted to expand Medicaid, Vox (website), Vox, May 30, 2018, October 17, 2018, Northam's predecessor, Terry McAuliffe, had tried to implement Medicaid expansion throughout his term, but was blocked by Republicans, who controlled the state legislature at the time and opposed the expansion.NEWS,weblink Gregory S. Schneider, Medicaid expansion gets off to a rough start in Virginia legislature, The Washington Post, January 25, 2018, October 7, 2018, NEWS,weblink A key Virginia GOP state senator says he is willing to break ranks and vote to expand Medicaid, Laura Vozzella, April 6, 2018, The Washington Post, October 7, 2018, Following the 2017 election, which brought significant gains for Democrats in the Virginia House of Delegates, Republicans still held a narrow legislative majority, but opposition to Medicaid expansion had diminished among Republicans, and several crossed over in support of the bill. Once the bill was enacted on January 1, 2019,NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Virginia General Assembly approves Medicaid expansion to 400,000 low-income residents, The Washington Post, May 30, 2018, October 17, 2018, Virginia became the 33rd state to expand Medicaid and the first to do so since Louisiana in 2016.NEWS,weblink Amy Goldstein, Laura Vozzella, Why the Trump administration made it easier for Virginia Republicans to expand Medicaid, The Washington Post, May 31, 2018, October 17, 2018, WEB,weblink John McGlennon, Virginia Is On The Verge Of Giving Health Coverage To 400,000, But There's A Catch, The Huffington Post, May 1, 2018, October 17, 2018, Enrollment in the expanded program began on November 1, 2018.NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Enrollment in Va.'s expanded Medicaid program starts Nov. 1, The Washington Post, October 18, 2018, October 20, 2018, By the beginning of 2019, more than 200,000 Virginians had enrolled in Medicaid as part of the expansion.WEB,weblink Gov. Northam says Medicaid has more than 200,000 enrolled, December 30, 2018, WRIC, January 1, 2019, January 1, 2019,weblink dead, As part of a compromise with Republican legislators, Northam agreed to a Medicaid expansion plan that would include a work requirement for most able-bodied, childless adults. The work requirement has not taken effect, as it cannot be implemented without a waiver from the federal government.NEWS,weblink Gregory S. Schneider, Virginia's Medicaid work requirement won't hit until long after program expands next year, The Washington Post, September 22, 2018, January 2, 2020, NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Medicaid work requirement in doubt in Virginia after Democrats win legislature, The Washington Post, December 4, 2019, January 2, 2020, Northam's administration initially sought such a waiver, but following Virginia's 2019 midterm elections, in which Democrats took control of the state legislature, Northam paused Virginia's request for the waiver, which at the time was still pending.WEB,weblink Michael Martz, Northam hits 'pause' on Virginia's Medicaid work requirement, Richmond Times-Dispatch, December 4, 2019, January 2, 2020,

Immigration

In his 2007 campaign for state Senate, Northam "advocated for Virginia being 'even more stringent than we are now in fighting illegal immigration,' and said the state should act as 'strong partners' with federal law enforcement." Northam's rhetoric shifted in his 2017 gubernatorial campaign. In 2017 Northam pledged to "stand up against ICE" so that "people, especially immigrants, in Virginia aren't living in fear," saying: "Something that we are very proud of in Virginia is that we are inclusive." He continued by saying "We will do everything we can to make sure immigrants are comfortable living here." Northam opposed President Trump's decision to rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which offered temporary stay for unauthorized immigrants who came to the United States as minors.NEWS,weblink Gillespie says 'dreamers' should not be deported, The Washington Post, September 9, 2017, Laura Vozzella, Northam said Trump's decision "lacks compassion, lacks moral sense, and lacks economic sense." Northam supports granting state driver's licenses and in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants.NEWS,weblink Alan, Suderman, The Associated Press, September 14, 2017, Va. gubernatorial candidates Northam, Gillespie weigh in on immigration, WJLA, In February 2017, while serving as lieutenant governor, Northam cast a tie-breaking vote in the state Senate against a bill to ban sanctuary cities in Virginia.NEWS,weblink live, November 2, 2017, Graham, Moomaw, Northam says he'd ban sanctuary cities if one ever appears in Virginia, Richmond Times-Dispatch,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171102081303weblink">weblink November 2, 2017, Northam said he was "proud to break a tie when Republicans tried to scapegoat immigrants for political gain" and that he was "glad to put a stop to" the bill. In an October 2017 gubernatorial debate, Northam said he did not support sanctuary cities, stating that there currently were none in Virginia, but Northam declined to say whether he would sign a bill as governor that was similar to the one he voted against in the Senate.NEWS,weblink Virginia governor candidates trade blows in final debate, Politico, In November 2017, Northam clarified that while he would veto any bill pre-emptively banning sanctuary cities in Virginia, he would support a ban, if sanctuary cities began appearing in the state. In April 2018, as governor, Northam vetoed a law that would have pre-emptively banned sanctuary cities in Virginia.NEWS,weblink NBC12, April 8, 2018, April 27, 2018, Northam vetoes bill that would prohibit 'sanctuary cities', He vetoed the same legislation again the following year.NEWS,weblinkweblink dead, March 21, 2019, Virginia governor vetoes sanctuary cities bill, The Washington Post, The Associated Press, March 19, 2019, March 21, 2019, In November 2019, after President Donald Trump issued an executive order allowing states and localities to abstain from refugee resettlement programs, Northam affirmed Virginia's commitment to accepting refugees, writing to Trump's Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, "Virginia's lights are on and our doors are open, and we welcome new Virginians to make their homes here...The United States has long presented itself as a haven, a place of stability and economic prosperity. We promote the ideals upon which this country was founded, of liberty and freedom. But to uphold those ideals abroad, we must allow access to them here at home. We must practice what we preach."NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Northam tells Trump administration Virginia will accept more refugees, The Washington Post, November 25, 2019, January 3, 2020,

LGBTQ rights

Northam has supported LGBT rights throughout his political career.NEWS,weblink Errin Whack, Democrats vying for lieutenant governor share vision for office, The Washington Post, June 2, 2013, February 14, 2019, NEWS,weblink Fenit Nirappil, In Va. governor's race, Democrats are battling to be the most progressive, The Washington Post, February 16, 2017, February 14, 2019, While running for lieutenant governor in 2013, he criticized his Republican opponent, E. W. Jackson, for making what were widely considered to be divisive statements about LGBT individuals. During a debate with Jackson, who is a minister, Northam said, "What I do in church translates to what I do in everyday life. Whether it's said in my church or whether it's said in my medical clinic or whether it's said before the Senate, it's on me and it's what I believe in."NEWS,weblink Michael Laris, Antonio Olivo, E.W. Jackson, Ralph Northam square off in Virginia lieutenant governor debate, The Washington Post, September 24, 2013, February 14, 2019, NEWS,weblink Robert McCartney, Ralph Northam eventually draws contrast with E.W. Jackson in Virginia lt. governor's debate, The Washington Post, September 24, 2013, February 14, 2019, That summer, when the United States Defense Department began offering marriage benefits to military personnel in same-sex relationships, Northam and Jackson disagreed with each other on the issue. Jackson said that because gay marriage was illegal in Virginia at the time, the state should withhold benefits from gay couples serving in its National Guard, while Northam supported the federal policy. Northam said that equalizing benefits for gay couples in the United States military is about "being fair with those who have served our country."NEWS,weblink Frederick Kunkle, Michael Laris, Va. attorney general hopefuls conduct spirited but civilized debate, The Washington Post, October 2, 2013, February 15, 2019, During the 2013 campaign, Northam said that opposition to LGBT rights would create an unwelcoming business environment in Virginia.NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Va. Democratic ticket appears in Richmond, The Washington Post, June 12, 2013, February 14, 2019, In 2015, he used his tie-breaking abilities as lieutenant governor to defeat a bill in the state Senate that would have forced Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring to defend the state's gay marriage ban; Herring had argued that the ban was unconstitutional.NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Va. Senate defeats bill to require attorney general to defend state law, The Washington Post, February 23, 2015, February 14, 2019, In 2017, while running for governor, Northam spoke against the Physical Privacy Act, a bill proposed that year in Virginia, which if passed, would have required people in government facilities to use restrooms corresponding to the gender specified on their original birth certificates. Northam called the Physical Privacy Act a "job-killing, prejudicial bill".NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Va. lawmaker presses fellow Republicans on transgender 'bathroom bill', The Washington Post, January 12, 2017, February 14, 2019, Later that same year, before Northam was elected governor, the Physical Privacy Act was defeated in the state legislature.NEWS,weblink Fenit Nirappil, Poll: Northam, Gillespie ahead in Va. governor primaries but most voters undecided, The Washington Post, February 2, 2017, February 14, 2019, Northam condemned the decision by President Donald Trump to ban transgender service members from the United States military. Shortly after Trump announced this policy, Northam tweeted, "Anyone who wants to serve our country in the military should be welcomed. They're patriots and should be treated as such."NEWS,weblink Jenna Portnoy, Votes by GOP Reps. Comstock, Taylor on transgender issue reflect political landscape, The Washington Post, June 26, 2017, February 14, 2019, Northam's first official action as governor was to sign an executive order banning the executive branch of the state government from discriminating against LGBTQ employees.NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Va. House panel kills bills to ban anti-LGBT discrimination in housing and jobs, The Washington Post, February 8, 2018, February 16, 2019, WEB,weblink Megan Woo, Governor Northam signs three executive orders after taking office, WWBT, January 13, 2018, June 17, 2019, At the time of Northam's inauguration, the state of Virginia did not have any legislation protecting LGBTQ individuals from employment discrimination.WEB,weblink Michael Paul Williams, Williams: LGBT employees need protection from discrimination, Richmond Times-Dispatch, February 12, 2015, June 17, 2019, NEWS,weblink Samantha Allen, Two LGBT Rights Bills Were Just Killed In Virginia, But The Battle Isn't Over, The Daily Beast, February 1, 2019, February 17, 2019, Protections on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity that had been established through an executive order issued by Northam's gubernatorial predecessor, Terry McAuliffe,{{efn|Protection from employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation was first introduced in the executive branch of the Virginia state government through a 2005 executive order issued by then-governor Mark Warner.WEB,weblink Augusta Free Press staff, Lieutenant Governor Northam casts tiebreaking vote to end employment discrimination in state government, Augusta Free Press, February 3, 2015, February 16, 2019, NEWS, UPI NewsTrack staff, Va. gov gives gays equal rights in hiring, UPI NewsTrack, December 17, 2005, NEWS, The Virginian Pilot staff, Gimmick justified to end hiring bias, The Virginian Pilot, December 24, 2005,

• The protection was maintained by Warner's gubernatorial successor, Tim KaineNEWS, Christina Nuckols, McDonnell rules Kaine out of order on gay hires, The Virginian Pilot, February 25, 2006, but was then repealed in 2010 by Kaine's own successor, Bob McDonnell.NEWS,weblink Rosalind S. Helderman, McDonnell has not issued order banning state workforce bias, The Washington Post, January 31, 2010, February 16, 2019, NEWS,weblink Virginia governor's anti-bias order removes language regarding sexual orientation, Rosalind S. Helderman, February 10, 2010, The Washington Post, February 16, 2019, In 2014, McAuliffe re-instated the policy and expanded it to include, for the first time in Virginia, protection on the basis of gender identity.WEB,weblink GAYRVA staff, McAuliffe Promises to Include Sexual Orientation in State Employment List of Protected Classes, No Mention of Gender Identity, GayRVA, November 7, 2013, February 16, 2019,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140719142417weblink">weblink July 19, 2014, }} were maintained by Northam's own executive order, which went further, introducing, for the first time in Virginia, protection on the basis of gender expression.WEB,weblink McAuliffe's executive orders don't sit well with political opponents, Kenric Ward, November 18, 2013, Alexandria Times, February 16, 2019, NEWS,weblink McAuliffe sworn in as Virginia governor, Rachel Weiner, Mark Berman, January 11, 2014, The Washington Post, February 16, 2019, WEB,weblink Highlights of Terry McAuliffe's rainy inauguration, Olympia Meola, January 11, 2014, Richmond Times-Dispatch, February 17, 2019, WEB,weblink At inauguration, McAuliffe asks for equality 'for all of Virginia's children', Michael Sluss, January 11, 2014, The Roanoke Times, February 17, 2019, WEB,weblink Marilyn Drew Necci, Northam's First Executive Order Expands Workplace Protections to LGBTQ State Employees, GayRVA, January 13, 2018, February 17, 2019,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180616184239weblink">weblink June 16, 2018,

While serving as lieutenant governor, Northam broke a tie in the state Senate, supporting a bill that would have codified into state law the protections included in McAuliffe's aforementioned executive order.WEB,weblink Anne Marie Morgan, Tie-Breaking Vote Sends Employment Discrimination Bill Forward, WVTF, February 4, 2015, February 16, 2019, NEWS,weblink Fenit Nirappil, Virginia governor's race: Democrats Northam, Perriello on hot-button issues, The Washington Post, February 16, 2017, February 16, 2019, This bill was defeated in the House of Delegates.WEB,weblink The editorial board of The Free Lance-Star, Editorial: House of Delegates rejects bills to guarantee fairness in state employment, The Free Lance-Star, February 19, 2015, February 17, 2019, WEB,weblink Travis Fain, In LGBTQ votes, a shift among Senate Republicans, Daily Press, February 2, 2016, February 17, 2019, February 18, 2019,weblink dead, Legislation that would have codified Northam's own executive order into state law passed with bipartisan support in the state Senate during 2018 and 2019, but was denied a vote both years by Republican leadership in the House of Delegates.NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Va. House panel kills bills to ban anti-LGBT discrimination in housing and jobs, The Washington Post, February 8, 2018, February 17, 2019, NEWS,weblink Patricia Sullivan, LGBT activists upset with loss of Va. anti-discrimination bills turn to November, The Washington Post, February 15, 2019, February 17, 2019, If passed, these bills would have applied to all state and local government employees in Virginia, unlike the aforementioned executive orders, which applied only to employees under the governor's personal authority.An even more expansive anti-discrimination law, the Virginia Values Act, was passed in Virginia with bipartisan support, after the state's 2019 legislative elections flipped control of both the state Senate and the House of Delegates from Republicans to Democrats.NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Virginia poised to become first Southern state banning LGBT discrimination, The Washington Post, February 6, 2020, June 13, 2020, WEB,weblink Jimmy O'Keefe, Subcommittee advances bill banning LGBTQ discrimination, Associated Press, The Associated Press, January 24, 2020, June 13, 2020, WEB,weblink Nico Lang, This could be the blueprint for LGBTQ protections in the South, Vox, February 12, 2020, June 13, 2020, Northam signed the Virginia Values Act into law on April 11, 2020. The bill, which bans discrimination throughout Virginia on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity in both public sector and private sector employment, housing, public accommodations, and credit transactions,WEB,weblink Sarah Rankin, Northam signs bills on monuments, LGBTQ protections, Associated Press, The Associated Press, April 11, 2020, June 13, 2020, NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Northam freezes new spending in the state budget amid coronavirus pandemic, The Washington Post, April 12, 2020, June 13, 2020, NEWS,weblink The Washington Post editorial board, Virginia's tireless LGBTQ advocates win legal protection at last, The Washington Post, April 16, 2020, June 13, 2020, is the first legislation in any southern state to extend anti-discrimination protections to LGBTQ individuals.WEB,weblink The Associated Press, Virginia lawmakers pass protections for LGBTQ people, NBC News, February 7, 2020, June 13, 2020, In 2020, Northam signed legislation expanding gender identity-related rights and protections in Virginia. Northam approved bills barring health insurance companies in the state from discriminating on the basis of gender identity;WEB,weblink Marilyn Drew Necci, The General Assembly Was Not Impressed With Religious Arguments Against Trans Health Care Bill, RVA Magazine, March 6, 2020, June 14, 2020, WEB,weblink Tim Fitzsimons, Democratic trifecta sparks a revolution for LGBTQ Virginians, NBC, March 10, 2020, June 14, 2020, WEB,weblink Philip Van Slooten, Equality Virginia praises Northam for signing LGBTQ rights bills, Washington Blade, April 13, 2020, June 14, 2020, establishing a statewide standard for the treatment of transgender students in Virginia schools;NEWS,weblink Hannah Natanson, Virginia's transgender students win safeguards against harassment under new law, The Washington Post, March 5, 2020, June 15, 2020, {{efn|This bill tasked the Virginia Department of Education with setting statewide standards for the treatment of transgender students and allows additional protections to be added by Virginia school districts. The statewide standards were adopted during the 2021-2022 school year.}} introducing a non-binary gender option on Virginia driver's licenses and IDs;WEB,weblink Philip Van Slooten, Northam signs Va. non-binary driver's license bill into law, Washington Blade, April 7, 2020, June 15, 2020, and removing gender reassignment surgery as a prerequisite in Virginia for those seeking to change the sex listed on their birth certificates.WEB,weblink Rodney Robinson, Virginia lawmakers OK bill allowing new birth certificates for transgender people, Prince William Times, February 29, 2020, June 16, 2020, In March 2020, Northam signed a bipartisan bill that made Virginia the twentieth state and first southern state to ban conversion therapy for minors. Upon signing the bill, Northam issued a statement saying, "This issue is personal for me, as a pediatric neurologist who has cared for thousands of children. Conversion therapy is not only based in discriminatory junk-science, it is dangerous and causes lasting harm to our youth. No one should be made to feel wrong for who they are - especially not a child."NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, Conversion therapy for minors to be banned in Virginia, The Washington Post, March 3, 2020, June 14, 2020, Days later, Northam signed a bill classifying crimes targeting a victim on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity as hate crimes.NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, In-state tuition for undocumented students, a bag tax and other overshadowed bits in Va.'s blue revolution, The Washington Post, February 12, 2020, June 14, 2020, That same year, Northam signed bills repealing the state legal code of Virginia's{{efn|Before this bill was enacted, Virginia's ban on same-sex marriage was included in the state legal code and in an amendment to the state constitution. Although this bill repeals the ban only from the state legal code, both bans became unenforceable in 2014.WEB,weblink Equality Virginia staff, 2020 LGBT Legislative Victories, Equality Virginia, March 9, 2020, June 19, 2020, May 3, 2020,weblink dead, }} unenforceable ban on same-sex marriage;NEWS,weblink Norman Leahy, Social issues will loom large in Virginia Senate, The Washington Post, November 21, 2019, June 19, 2020, NEWS,weblink Laura Vozzella, LGBT bills clear Virginia Senate and head to a friendly House of Delegates, The Washington Post, January 21, 2020, June 19, 2020, adopting gender-neutral language for spouses throughout state law;PRESS RELEASE,weblink New 2020 Laws in Virginia Domestic Relations, Fairfax, VA, Scott Surovell, Surovell, Isaacs, & Levy PLC, May 2020, June 20, 2020, PRESS RELEASE,weblink Stronger LGBTQ+ Rights Soon Enforced in Virginia, Richmond, VA, Virginia House Dems, June 16, 2020, June 20, 2020, and allowing municipalities in Virginia to pass their own laws banning discrimination on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity.WEB,weblink Philip Van Slooten, Va. governor signs three LGBTQ bills into law, Washington Blade, March 5, 2020, June 16, 2020, WEB,weblink Molly Sprayregen, Virginia's governor just signed 3 pro-LGBTQ bills, LGBTQ Nation, March 6, 2020, June 14, 2020,

Marijuana

{{Update|section|date=January 2021}}In May 2020, when Democrats had fresh control of Virginia's state legislature, Northam signed a law decriminalizing marijuana for adult use. Democrats had attempted to pass legislation legalizing it in years past, but had failed every time. It was decriminalized in July 2020, but by then, the state's Democratic Party and Northam had explained that it was not enough–that racial disparities would continue to deepen with just a $25 fine. Following this revelation, he voiced his intent to introduce a bill to legalize it fully. It initially passed with an effective date of July 2024, which Northam and the Virginia ACLU quickly said was not enough. He sent the bill back to the General Assembly, asking for amendments to move the date up to July 2021. The bill was amended and signed by Northam in April 2021, including a provision requested by him making underage possession a civil fine with a substance abuse class. Dispensaries will open on the original date in 2024, while up to four plants can be grown inside the home in 2021.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}

Donald Trump

In a political ad run during the 2017 Virginia Democratic primary, Northam said, "I've been listening carefully to Donald Trump, and I think he's a narcissistic maniac."NEWS, Why this Democratic candidate, who has an M.D., calls Trump a 'narcissistic maniac',weblink Nirappil, Fenit, June 4, 2017, The Washington Post, October 7, 2017, As the general election drew near Northam said, "[I]f Donald Trump is helping Virginia, I'll work with him."NEWS, Why Ralph Northam doesn't call Trump a 'narcissistic maniac' anymore,weblink Nirappil, Fenit, October 3, 2017, The Washington Post, October 7, 2017, Northam explained the "softer tone": "I think people already know [their opinions of Trump] and they are judging for themselves. What we are talking about as we move forward are the policies that are coming out of Washington that are so detrimental to Virginia".

Voting rights, campaign law, and redistricting

{{Expand section|date=January 2021}}During his 2017 campaign for governor, Northam said that if elected, he would approve a map of new Virginia legislative and congressional boundaries in the post-2020 redistricting only if it is drawn by a nonpartisan commission.WEB,weblink Graham Moomaw, At 1st gubernatorial debate, Northam and Gillespie draw sharp contrasts, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Culpeper Star-Exponent, July 24, 2017, August 17, 2017, In January 2019, Northam introduced legislation including bills to end Virginia's photo ID law and a bill to allow absentee "no-excuse" voting to replace the current law which contains limits. He is also proposing new campaign finance limits that would block direct donations from corporations, cap donations at $10,000, and prohibit the personal use of campaign funds by lawmakers.WEB, Gov. Northam pushes absentee voting, campaign finance bills,weblink The Associated Press, January 7, 2019, October 31, 2021, WHSV 3, In October 2019, Northam announced that he had restored the voting rights and other civil rights of more than 22,000 felons who had completed their sentences.WEB,weblink October 31, 2021, Virginia gov says he's restored civil rights to 22K felons, Associated Press, The Associated Press, October 10, 2019, In March 2021, he approved the Voting Rights Act of Virginia.WEB, Romine, Taylor, Alonso, Melissa, March 31, 2021, Virginia governor approves bill aimed at preventing voter suppression and discrimination in elections,weblink CNN,

Personal life

Northam and his wife Pam have two adult children, Wes and Aubrey.NEWS, Sullivan, Heather, Meet Virginia's new First Lady Pam Northam,weblink February 1, 2018, NBC 12, January 8, 2018, Northam's brother, Thomas Northam, is a lawyer and the law partner of Virginia State Senate member Lynwood Lewis, who was elected to the State Senate to replace Northam when he resigned his State Senate seat to assume the position of lieutenant governor. Their father, Wescott Northam, is a retired Accomack County judge, former Commonwealth's Attorney, and Navy veteran.NEWS, Vaughn, Carol, Ralph Northam cites moral compass at inauguration: 'We have a lot of work to do',weblink February 1, 2018, delmarva.now, January 13, 2018, Northam belongs to a predominately black Baptist church in Capeville, VirginiaNEWS,weblink Gregory S. Schneider, Fenit Nirappil, As Virginia's primary draws closer, Democratic nomination for governor could depend on black voters, The Washington Post, June 8, 2017, February 7, 2019, NEWS,weblink John Eligon, As Calls Mount for Ralph Northam to Resign, Some Virginians Mull a Second Chance, The New York Times, February 3, 2019, February 7, 2019, and serves as the vice chair of the Fort Monroe Authority, which oversees Fort Monroe, a Civil War historic site where Union General Benjamin Butler sheltered freed slaves.NEWS, Patrick, Wilson,weblink Ralph Northam's ancestors owned slaves. He found out only recently, Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 2, 2017, In his free time, Northam enjoys working on classic cars.NEWS, Vozzella, Laura, Full interview transcript: Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam,weblink February 1, 2018, The Washington Post, June 1, 2017, He owns a 1953 Oldsmobile and a 1971 Chevrolet Corvette.NEWS, Schneider, Gregory, A Democratic winner in Virginia says it's time for bipartisanship,weblink February 1, 2018, The Washington Post, December 16, 2017, Northam is a recreational runner and a competitor in races including the Richmond Road Runners' First Day 5k and the Monument Avenue 10K race.NEWS, Graham, Moomaw, Gov. Ralph Northam gears up for his next race: The Monument Avenue 10K,weblink April 14, 2018, Richmond Times-Dispatch,

Electoral history

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