UVa law professor's effort to charge Aug. 11 torch rally participants gains support
BY RUTH SERVEN

An effort by a University of Virginia law professor and students to sanction Jason Kessler, the Unite the Right organizer, gathered steam this week and culminated in a trespass warning issued to Kessler on Thursday.

However, throughout the fall, Anne Coughlin, a criminal law and procedure professor, and Rebecca Kimmel, a third-year law student, have worked with students and faculty to advocate for sanctions against Kessler on a different avenue: prosecution for burning objects on Aug. 11. They have worked to find students and faculty present Aug. 11 at the Lawn and Rotunda and encouraged them to file police reports.

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“Since that time, UPD has continued to work with survivors of the August 11th violence, taking statements to build a very powerful criminal case,” Kimmel said. “Yet after months and months, Tracci has been unwilling to use the record and the clearly applicable statute to prosecute the white supremacists. The time to bring that case is now.”

Virginia Code 18.2-423.01, a successor to a previous cross-burning law, makes it illegal to burn an object in a public place with the intent to intimidate or to make someone fear for their safety or life. The alleged crime could be treated as a felony or misdemeanor, and the statute of limitations would likely expire after one year.

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