Elections do matter: Jones (D) moves to salvage appeal after judge strikes down Virginia background-check law
With the clock ticking, Attorney General–elect Jay Jones filed a motion this week asking the Virginia Court of Appeals to extend the commonwealth’s deadline to appeal a recent ruling that struck down the state’s background-check law for private firearm sales.
The request — if granted — could buy more time for Virginia to mount a legal defense and potentially restore the law.
Under state law, the commonwealth had until Dec. 1 to file a notice of appeal after the Wilson v. Hanley decision. Because outgoing Attorney General Jason Miyares did not pursue the appeal, the right to challenge the ruling would have expired — potentially leaving the background-check requirement for private sales dead.
Jones’s motion asks that the deadline be extended to Jan. 30, 2026.
https://virginiamercury.com/2025/12/04/jones-moves-to-salvage-appeal-after-judge-strikes-down-virginia-background-check-law/