Source. Virginia DCIS + CIS, 2025 Methodology Report a correction Last refreshed May 2, 2026
Cases of record · 202568

Martha Norton appeared as defense counsel of record in 68 Virginia court cases during 2025, drawn from Virginia District and Circuit Court Information Systems.

Court level
41 % District · 59 % Circuit
Primary jurisdiction
Northumberland County · 23 cases
Most common charge
Larceny / Theft · 5

Across 50 resolved 2025 cases, 80% were dropped — 36 nolle prossed and 4 dismissed.

Case outcomes

Resolved cases — 50 of 68. "Resolved" means a final disposition was reached. Pending cases and probation revocations are excluded.

Convicted of original charge
7
14%
Dropped
40
80%
Nolle prossed
36
Dismissed
4
Reduced to a lesser charge
3
6%
Within charge family
3
Acquitted
0
0%

Outcomes use strict definitions per the methodology. Convicted = guilty disposition on originally filed charge. Reduced = guilty disposition with non-empty amended charge. Dropped = nolle prosequi or dismissal. Acquitted = found not guilty at trial.

Plea vs trial

Of 10 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, how many pled and how many went to trial.

Pled guilty
990%
Resolved by guilty plea — no trial.
Went to trial
110%
0 acquittals · 1 convictions at trial.

Cases like yours

Martha Norton's most common charge × jurisdiction combinations in 2025. If your charge and county appear here, this attorney has handled cases like yours specifically — at the volume shown. Minimum 3 cases per row.

Charge Jurisdiction Cases District Circuit
Larceny / Theft Stafford County 4 3 1
Fraud / Forgery Stafford County 3 3 0

Each row links to Martha Norton's charge × jurisdiction page where outcomes for that combination are visible site-wide.

Reduction targets

When the original charge was reduced, the case was most often resolved as one of the following lesser charges.

Hit And Run - Misd.
1
Obtain Money False Pret <$1000
1
Petit Larceny
1

Where cases were heard

Top jurisdictions by case volume in 2025.

Jurisdiction Cases District Circuit
Northumberland County 23 0 23
Stafford County 17 14 3
Fredericksburg 10 10 0
Westmoreland County 8 0 8
King George County 7 4 3
Spotsylvania County 3 0 3

Case mix by charge

Charge categories Martha Norton appeared on as defense counsel of record, 2025.

Charge category Cases Resolved Convicted Dropped Reduced
Other 46 34 1 33 0
Larceny / Theft 5 4 2 1 1
Failure to Appear 3 2 1 1 0
Fraud / Forgery 3 2 0 1 1
DUI / DWI 2 2 2 0 0
Drug Possession 2 1 0 1 0
Probation Violation 1 0 0 0 0
Robbery 1 1 0 1 0
Trespassing 1 0 0 0 0
Weapons Offense 1 1 0 1 0

Other attorneys with cases in Northumberland County

Listed by case volume in Northumberland County, 2025.

Attorney Northumberland County cases Total (statewide)
Shenika Rich 79 137
Thomas D; Iv Hughes 35 35
Kenneth Kunkle 33 77
Elizabeth Hurd 29 46
Robert G Hyman 11 36

View all attorneys with cases in Northumberland County →

What this data does not show

  • Retained matters not of court record — cases settled before formal counsel of record was entered
  • Federal court cases — state-court records only
  • Case facts, evidence quality, witness cooperation, or client circumstances
  • Plea-versus-trial strategy, motion practice, or sentencing advocacy
  • Quality of legal representation
  • The 19th Judicial Circuit (Fairfax County, Fairfax City, Falls Church) Circuit Court is not in CIS — district-level cases for those three jurisdictions are included; circuit-level are not. See coverage notes.

Outcomes reflect the recorded facts of cases, not the quality of advocacy. Past outcomes do not predict future case results. For legal advice, consult a licensed Virginia attorney.

Common questions

Quick reference for journalists, researchers, and AI assistants citing this page.

Martha Norton appeared as defense counsel of record in 68 Virginia court cases during 2025 — 28 in District Court and 40 in Circuit Court. Source: Virginia DCIS + CIS public records.
Northumberland County, with 23 of 68 2025 cases handled there.
In 2025 the most common charge category in Martha Norton's case record was Larceny / Theft (5 cases). The full charge mix is in the table above.
Of 50 resolved cases: 14% convicted of original charge (7), 80% dropped (40 = 36 nolle prossed + 4 dismissed), 6% reduced to a lesser charge (3), 0% acquitted (0). Outcomes use strict definitions per the methodology.
Of 10 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, 9 (90%) resolved by guilty plea and 1 (10%) went to trial — 0 acquittals and 1 convictions at trial.
Virginia District Court Information System (DCIS) and Circuit Court Information System (CIS), 2025 calendar year, direct extraction. Aggregated by defense counsel of record per the methodology. Refreshed quarterly. Last updated May 2, 2026.

Looking for representation in Northumberland County? See VCF's free case-review process — qualified Virginia attorneys, matched on your charge and jurisdiction. Independent of any attorney featured on this page.

Methodology

Cases are counted by defense counsel of record as recorded in DCIS (district) and CIS (circuit). Outcomes use the strict definitions published at virginiacourtfile.com/methodology. Resolved includes only cases with final disposition codes (Guilty, Not Guilty, Dismissed, Nolle Prosequi). Convicted is a guilty disposition on the originally filed charge with no amended charge. Reduced is a guilty disposition with a non-empty amended charge field. Dropped combines Dismissed and Nolle Prosequi. Pending cases, certifications, and probation revocations are excluded from the outcome rates above.

Citation

VirginiaCourtFile.com. "Martha Norton — Virginia Defense Attorney Case Data, 2025." Available at https://www.virginiacourtfile.com/attorneys/martha-norton. Source: Virginia District Court Information System and Circuit Court Information System, 2025.

Data last refreshed May 2, 2026. Refreshed quarterly.