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Valerie Richardson

Valerie Richardson

Valerie Richardson covers politics and the West from Denver. She can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Valerie Richardson

The trial in New York of lawyer Steven Donziger, who brought natives of the Ecuadorean Amazon to court with him in 1999, reaches a climax this week as he defends himself against charges that he engineered a record-breaking $19 billion judgment against Chevron Corp. for contamination of the Amazon rain forest. Ecuador had originally opposed the class-action suit, filed in 1993 on behalf of indigenous Indians and others. (Associated Press)

D.C. firm retreats in Chevron legal battle

In a stunning retreat, high-powered Washington, D.C. firm Patton Boggs agreed Wednesday to pay $15 million to energy giant Chevron and withdraw from its central role in trying to enforce an Ecuadorean court judgment against the oil company that was found to have been obtained through fraud. Published May 7, 2014

Current loan forgiveness policies stick taxpayers with college tabs run up by thousands upon thousands of those who choose to go the bachelor's degree route. (Associated Press/File)

University rescinds ban on grads thanking God

Seeking to quell a mounting controversy, East Carolina University officials announced Tuesday that there would be no limits on religious references at its graduation ceremonies after a chemistry professor told his students that they were not allowed to thank God for earning their diplomas. Published May 6, 2014

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, said she has requested an independent review of the state's death penalty procedures after the botched execution of Clayton Lockett. Lockett's execution was halted on after 20 minutes when it became clear something went wrong. He died later that night of a suspected heart attack. (Associated Press)

Oklahoma will review methods after botched execution

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin defended capital punishment Wednesday while calling for an independent review of the state's death-penalty procedures after a botched execution prompted widespread criticism. Published April 30, 2014

With the Colorado state capitol building visible in the background, partygoers dance to live music and smoke pot on the first of two days at the annual 4/20 marijuana festival in Denver, Saturday April 19, 2014. The annual event is the first 420 marijuana celebration since retail marijuana stores began selling in January 2014. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Feds raid Denver pot shop suspected of cartel ties

DIn the first state to make recreational pot legal for sale, federal agents raided a Denver marijuana dispensary early Wednesday suspected of having ties to a Colombia drug cartel. Published April 30, 2014

** FILE ** Rancher Cliven Bundy, middle, addresses his supporters along side Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie, right, on April 12, 2014. Bundy informed the public that the BLM has agreed to cease the roundup of his family's cattle. (AP Photo/Las Vegas Review-Journal, Jason Bean)

Nevada rancher’s racial remarks cost him range of support

Whatever goodwill Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy had built during his widely publicized standoff with the federal government evaporated Thursday after his comments that blacks might be "better off as slaves" went viral. Published April 24, 2014

Surrounded by bill supporters, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signs House Bill 60 into law during a signing event Wednesday, April 23, 2013, in Ellijay, Ga. The bill makes several changes to the state's gun law. It allows those with a license to carry to bring a gun into a bar without restriction and into some government buildings that don't have certain security measures. It also allows religious leaders to decide whether it's OK for a person with a carry license to bring a gun into their place of worship. (AP Photo/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Brant Sanderlin) MARIETTA DAILY OUT; GWINNETT DAILY POST OUT; LOCAL TV OUT; WXIA-TV OUT; WGCL-TV OUT

Georgia’s new carry law a big win for gun rights

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed a sweeping right-to-carry bill Wednesday, making his state the latest to give a victory to the gun rights movement in what is emerging as a banner year for advocates of firearms access and self-protection. Published April 23, 2014

National Governor's Association Vice Chair Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper participates in a special session on jobs in America during the National Governor's Association Winter Meeting in Washington, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Opposition rising to Colorado gun control laws

More than a year after pushing through through some of the toughest gun control measures in the country, Colorado Democrats are finding it finding the measures are more unpopular than ever with state residents. Published April 23, 2014

Eastern Connecticut State University.

Professor apologizes after blasting Republicans in class

An English professor who told his students that Republicans want to shut down colleges apologized Tuesday after a recording of the lecture was posted on the conservative website Campus Reform. Published April 23, 2014

FILE - In this Oct. 16, 2013 file photo, marijuana clone plants that are used to grow medical marijuana are displayed under a light at a medical marijuana cooperative in Seattle. Illinois regulators finalizing the state's conditions for medical marijuana have removed a proposed rule that would have barred legal gun owners from becoming cannabis-using patients, a person close to the process told The Associated Press. The draft regulations aren't expected to be published until Friday, April 18, 2014. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

Colorado lawmakers set limits on pot edibles possession

The Mile High City was jammed with pot revelers Sunday for the annual 4/20 festival, but the mood was far from celebratory Monday as state legislators moved to tighten rules on marijuana products in the wake of two tragic deaths. Published April 21, 2014

A shootout at the Russia-Ukraine border between an unidentified masked man and pro-Russian activists broke a United Nations brokered truce and left at least three dead on Easter Sunday, prompting a small memorial at the scene of the skirmish. (Associated Press Photographs)

Ukraine, Russia trade blame over Easter Sunday shootout

Ukraine Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk warned Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to restore the Soviet Union, first by annexing Crimea and then by swallowing the Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine. Published April 20, 2014