Jason Miyares
Jason Miyares | |
---|---|
48th Attorney General of Virginia | |
Assumed office January 15, 2022 | |
Governor | Glenn Youngkin |
Preceded by | Mark Herring |
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 82nd district | |
In office January 13, 2016 – January 12, 2022 | |
Preceded by | Bill DeSteph |
Succeeded by | Anne Ferrell Tata |
Personal details | |
Born | Jason Stuart Miyares February 11, 1976 College of William and Mary (JD) |
Signature | |
Jason Stuart Miyares (born February 11, 1976) is an American attorney and politician serving as the 48th Attorney General of Virginia since 2022. A Republican, he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2015, from the 82nd district in northeastern Virginia Beach, and served three terms from 2016 to 2022. He was elected Attorney General of Virginia in 2021. The son of a refugee, he is the first Hispanic elected statewide in Virginia.[1]
Early life and education
Miyares was born in
Career
Miyares worked on
Virginia House of Delegates
In 2015, Miyares ran for the
Miyares voted against the
He endorsed Marco Rubio in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries, and was Rubio's Virginia campaign co-chairman.[12] In 2016, amid the Cuban thaw, Miyares criticized Governor Terry McAuliffe's outreach to Cuba.[13] Miyares introduced a non-binding resolution (H.J. 1777) in 2016 condemning the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.[14][15]
Miyares
In August 2020, he offered HB 5037, a bill that would grant immunity, except in cases of willful misconduct or gross negligence, to public officials and businesses who followed public health measures to prevent the transmission of COVID-19.[21]
In September 2020, Miyares voted against legislation to authorize local governments to remove
Virginia attorney general
Election
In May 2021, Miyares was nominated as the Republican candidate for
During his campaign against Herring, Miyares emphasized crime issues.
Tenure
Abortion
In January 2022, Miyares withdrew the Virginia AG Office's brief to the Supreme Court, submitted under his predecessor, supporting a challenge to Mississippi's abortion ban of restricting abortion to 15 weeks.[28]
On May 10, 2023, Miyares defended his decision to not join with 22 other Republican state attorneys general when they filed a lawsuit seeking to ban the abortion medication mifepristone, saying he supported the Food and Drug Administration's regulations. Miyares stated he believes in fostering compromise on abortion and supports a 15-week restriction on abortion with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. Miyares does not believe in prosecuting people for abortions with Yahoo! News writing that he has "sought to stake out a more moderate conservative position on the issue."[29]
COVID-19
In January 2022, Miyares issued an advisory opinion in which he concluded that Virginia's public colleges and universities lacked the power to require students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine before enrolling or taking in-person classes. Such advisory opinions are not binding, although at least two institutions (George Mason University and Virginia Tech) dropped their vaccine requirement after Miyares issued the opinion.[30][31]
Elections
On February 10, 2022, Miyares' deputy attorney general for government operations and transactions resigned when it was reported that she had spread misinformation about the
On October 10, 2023, Miyares sent a
On December 29, 2023, Miyares won a case that involved "false and misleading" fliers from being distributed in Virginia elections.[35] Miyares said, "In Virginia, it should be easy to vote and hard to cheat. I’m proud of my Election Integrity Unit for taking action against voter misinformation and intimidation."[35] The fliers falsely attested that "if voters did not cast their ballots they could lose their Social Security income, Medicare eligibility, unemployment benefits, child tax credits, child custody rights, and concealed carry permits."[35]
Environment
On September 13, 2023, Miyares announced an $80 million settlement with
Gun violence
In 2022, Miyares started a targeted violence intervention initiative, Operation Ceasefire, to crack down on gun violence through "rigorous prosecution and community prevention" in 13 cities. The initiative was lauded after its first year with Democratic Speaker of the House of Delegates Don Scott allocating $22 million to help fund it for the next two years after overall crime dropped in 12 of the 13 cities and violent crime dropped in 9 of the 13 cities. There were 225 fewer crimes in 2023 than 2022 in the targeted cities with Norfolk seeing a third as many homicides.[37][38]
Opioids
On April 16, 2024, Miyares announced a $108 million settlement from seven drug manufacturers and retailers for illegally pushing
Policing
On September 7, 2023, Miyares reached a settlement with the Town of Windsor, in Isle of Wight County, over its alleged "discriminatory, unconstitutional policing" conduct.[40] Per the settlement, Windsor will have to "submit to an independent third-party review system for use-of-force complaints and other complaints of serious misconduct alleged against any officer."[40] The town police department will also have to "obtain accreditation from the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission, raising the bar on its internal investigation processes and officer training."[40] Jonathan Arthur, the attorney for Caron Nazario, a Black United States Army lieutenant, whose interaction with the Windsor police department prompted the investigation into its alleged discriminatory behavior, praised the settlement in an interview with WVEC.[40] Miyares said that "excessive use of force and violations of constitutional liberties will not be tolerated in Virginia."[40]
Reentry services
On April 4, 2024, Miyares started a
Staffing
Upon taking office in January 2022, Miyares fired 17 attorneys, and 13 other employees, in the Virginia AG's Office and the counsels for George Mason University (GMU) and the University of Virginia.[42][43][44][45] After the firings, Miyares hired former Commonwealth's Attorney for Arlington County and Falls Church City Theo Stamos, a moderate Democrat, to lead the conviction integrity unit.[46][47]
Electoral history
Date | Election | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Virginia House of Delegates, 82nd district | |||||
November 3, 2015[48] | General | Jason S. Miyares | Republican | 10,046 | 65.19 |
William W. Fleming | Democratic | 5,335 | 34.62 | ||
Write-ins | 29 | 0.19 | |||
Bill DeSteph ran for Senate; seat stayed Republican |
Date | Election | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Virginia Attorney General | |||||
November 2, 2021[49] | General | Jason S. Miyares | Republican | 1,647,100 | 50.36 |
Mark R. Herring | Democratic | 1,620,564 | 49.55 | ||
Write-ins | 2,995 | 0.09 |
Personal life
Miyares and his wife, Page (Atkinson) Miyares, have three daughters and live in Virginia Beach, Virginia.[50] His father-in-law, John Atkinson, was formerly treasurer of Virginia Beach.[6] Miyares is a member of the Galilee Episcopal Church and a past President of the Cape Henry Rotary, where he was a Paul Harris Fellow.[4]
References
- ^ Gamboa, Suzanne. "Republican Jason Miyares makes history as Virginia's first Latino attorney general". www.nbcnews.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ a b "Official Legislative Profile".
- ^ a b Vozella, Laura (January 2, 2016). "Va. Republican challenges McAuliffe to meet with dissidents in Cuba". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f "Jason S. Miyares". Virginia Capitol Connections. Winter 2022. p. 5.
- ^ McKinney, Matt (November 4, 2015). "Miyares wins Virginia House of Delegates 82nd District". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
- ^ a b c d Matt McKinney, Miyares wins Virginia House of Delegates 82nd District, The Virginian-Pilot (November 4, 2014).
- ^ Jenna Portnoy, How George Allen's chief of staff inspired legislation to make it easier for gay couples to raise children, Washington Post (February 26, 2019).
- ^ Todd Allen Wilson, Hirschbiel calls for reform of Congress, pay cuts for lawmakers, Daily Press (July 11, 2012).
- ^ Official election results. Virginia State Board of Elections
- ^ Miyares wins GOP nod for attorney general, Inside NoVa (May 10, 2021).
- ^ "HB5001". LIS Virginia. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
- ^ Laura Vozzella, Rubio announces more Virginia endorsements, Washington Post (February 2, 2016).
- ^ Schneider, Gregory (February 1, 2017). "Richmond notebook: Rapt silence, then applause for a lawmaker with a critique of McAuliffe's Cuba outreach". The Washington Post.
- ^ "STATEWIDE JEWISH COMMUNITY PRAISES THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY FOR OVERWHELMINGLY PASSING H177, A FORCEFUL CONDEMNATION OF THE ANTI-ISRAEL BDS MOVEMENT" (PDF). JCRC. March 9, 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 3, 2016.
- ^ "LIS > Bill Tracking > HJ177 > 2016 session". lis.virginia.gov. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Matthew Barakat, Herring seeks 3rd term as AG; Miyares stands in his way, Associated Press (October 12, 2021).
- ^ Sarah Rankin and Denise Lavoie, Republican Virginia Attorney General Miyares defends staying out of abortion pill case, AP (May 10, 2023).
- ^ Sarah Rankin, Virginia House joins Senate in voting to end death penalty, Associated Press (February 5, 2021).
- ^ Denise Lavoie, Virginia, with 2nd-most executions, outlaws death penalty, Associated Press (March 24, 2021).
- ^ Gregory S. Schneider, [1], Washington Post (March 8, 2020).
- ^ "Virginia lawmakers working to pass bills making it tougher to sue over COVID-19 issues". WTKR. August 27, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
- ^ Laura Vozzella, Two Republicans running statewide in Virginia back Lee statue removal, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, Washington Post (September 9, 2020).
- ^ a b c Virginia GOP announces AG nominee; vote-counting to continue, Associated Press (May 9, 2021).
- ^ Candidate seeks recount in Virginia attorney general race, Associated Press (May 10, 2021).
- ^ Mel Leonor, Del. Jason Miyares edges Chuck Smith to win GOP nomination for attorney general, Richmond Times-Dispatch (May 10, 2021).
- ^ Nate Raymond, Republican Miyares defeats Herring in Virginia attorney general race, Reuters (November 3, 2021)
- ^ Miyares defeats Herring in tight race for Virginia attorney general, Daily Press (November 3, 2021).
- ^ North, Emma (January 22, 2022). "Attorney General Miyares: Virginia no longer opposes 15-week abortion ban". WRIC ABC 8News. Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ Rankin, Sarah; Lavoie, Denise (May 10, 2023). "Republican Virginia Attorney General Miyares defends staying out of abortion pill case". Yahoo News. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ Justin Jouvenal, Lauren Lumpkin and Hannah Natanson, Virginia's public colleges and universities can't require coronavirus vaccine, new GOP attorney general finds, Washington Post (January 28, 2021).
- ^ Sands, Tim (January 31, 2022). "From President Tim Sands: Changes in vaccine mandate, plans for successful semester". news.vt.edu. Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
- ^ a b Ben Peters, Virginia attorney general orders right-wing group to halt voting misinformation campaign, InsideNoVa (October 10, 2023)
- ^ a b c Dunn, Hailey (December 29, 2023). "Virginia AG Jason Miyares wins election integrity case". WVEC. Tegna Inc. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ^ a b Hercyk, Ezra (September 13, 2023). "Virginia Attorney General secures $80M from Monsanto for distribution of toxic chemicals". WJLA. Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ Payne, Raven (March 20, 2024). "Attorney General Miyares discusses crime reduction rates in Ceasefire Cities". Yahoo! News. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ Blair, Tannock (March 21, 2024). "Miyares credits Operation Ceasefire with decrease in murder, other crimes across Virginia". WRIC-TV. Nexstar Media Group. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ a b c Gonzalez, Will (April 16, 2024). "Virginia receives $100 million from 7 opioid settlements". WRIC-TV. Nexstar Media Group. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Steger, Preston (September 7, 2023). "Virginia AG Miyares, Town of Windsor resolve lawsuit alleging 'pattern of discriminatory policing'". 13newsnow.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ a b Payne, Raven (April 4, 2024). "'Everyone deserves a second chance': Hampton Roads job fair connects previously incarcerated people to employers". WAVY-TV. Nexstar Media Group. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ^ Patrick Wilson, Miyares fires 30 in AG's office, including lawyer investigating dangerous conditions at Richmond apartments, Richmond Times-Dispatch (January 14, 2022).
- ^ Patrick Wilson, Partisan debate erupts in Va. Senate over Miyares' firing of 30 in AG's office, Richmond Times-Dispatch (January 18, 2022).
- ^ Goncalves, Delia (January 21, 2022). "Miyares' 'backup plan' would give concurrent jurisdiction to AG's office, allowing police and sheriff to bypass local prosecutor's office". wusa9.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ Justin Jouvenal and Lauren Lumpkin, Va.'s new attorney general fires U-Va. counsel who was on leave working as top investigator for Jan. 6 panel, Washington Post (January 23, 2021).
- ^ Justin Jouvenal, Miyares plans to be ‘new sheriff in town’ as Virginia attorney general, The Washington Post (January 19, 2022).
- ^ C.J. Ciaramella, New Virginia Attorney General Fires Entire Conviction Integrity Unit, Reason (January 21, 2022).
- ^ "November 2015 General Election Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
- ^ "November 2021 General Election Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections.
- ^ "Del. Jason Miyares running for Va. attorney general in 2021". WAVY.com. December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
External links
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Jason Miyares at the Virginia Public Access Project