This is a Complaint pleading for use in litigation of the title matter. Adapt this form to comply with your facts and circumstances, and with your specific state law. Not recommended for use by non-attorneys.
This is a Complaint pleading for use in litigation of the title matter. Adapt this form to comply with your facts and circumstances, and with your specific state law. Not recommended for use by non-attorneys.
Anyone convicted of a felony in Virginia automatically loses their civil rights - the right to vote, serve on a jury, run for office, become a notary public and carry a firearm. The Constitution of Virginia gives the Governor the sole discretion to restore civil rights, not including firearm rights.
Under Virginia Code §18.2-308.2, it is a felony for any individual who has been convicted of a felony to possess a firearm. However, Virginia law provides certain mechanisms by which convicted felons may have their gun rights restored.
A person convicted of a felony automatically loses their firearm rights under state and federal law.
State Variations: Some states have specific rules: In Virginia, felonies remain on your record permanently under § 19.2-392.2 unless expunged, but expungement is limited to cases where no conviction occurred (e.g., charges dropped or acquittal).
Only a few states have laws that could prohibit felons from serving alcohol: Indiana, Kansas, and Washington State. States like Virginia specify that individuals with felony drug convictions may not be employed in positions involving the sale or service of alcohol.
Anyone convicted of a felony in Virginia automatically loses their civil rights - the right to vote, serve on a jury, run for office, become a notary public and carry a firearm. The Constitution of Virginia gives the Governor the sole discretion to restore civil rights, not including firearm rights.
Beginning July 1, 2026, Virginia background checks will forever be different. Virginia's new record sealing laws go into effect on July 1, 2025 July 1, 2026, and give people the ability to seal qualifying criminal convictions and remove them from background checks run by employers.
Ramirez, 418 U.S. 24 (1974), was a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of the United States in which the Court held, 6–3, that convicted felons could be barred from voting beyond their sentence and parole without violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution.