Paul Goldman’s Crisis of Faith
Stanfield talked with Goldman this weekend after he indicated in a text that he plans to drop his lawsuit seeking to force new House elections this year.
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Paul Goldman’s Crisis of Faith
By Josh Stanfield
Josh Stanfield is a member of the Central Committee of the Democratic Party of Virginia. He tried to intervene as a plaintiff in the Goldman case in 2021 but was denied by the Court. He lives in Yorktown.
On Friday night, phones across the Commonwealth lit up with a text message from Paul Goldman, the sole plaintiff in a federal lawsuit seeking 2022 House of Delegates elections in the new, constitutional districts:
“Breaking news: After another week - 11 months - with no opinion, Goldman to file next week withdrawing from Goldman v Brink redistricting case.”
Voting rights advocates were confused and aghast. Incumbents were surely elated, including Speaker Todd Gilbert who’s all but guaranteed another year as Speaker if Goldman drops the case. But this is a baffling decision by Goldman, known to many for his relentless persistence in the face of long odds.
So I spent a few hours on the phone with Goldman over the weekend, hoping to discern the rationale behind such an uncharacteristic decision to drop the case.
A little background: I first spoke to Paul Goldman in 2017. Since then, I’ve seen him take on the Navy Hill redevelopment project in Richmond, the pet project of former Dominion Energy CEO Tom Farrell and Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney that was ultimately rejected by Richmond City Council. I’ve seen him spearhead the successful effort to stop the One Casino + Resort project in Richmond last year. I’ve seen him win FOIA and ballot access lawsuits. And I read his book, Remaking Virginia Politics, released earlier this year.