Virginia state senator invokes 'Jim Crow' after Feds indict octogenarian on drug trafficking charges

Virginia Senate President Pro Tempore L. Louise Lucas on Thursday invoked the era of Jim Crow in a statement denouncing the Department of Justice's indictment against her.

The DOJ indicted Lucas on multiple counts, alleging that she played a leading role in a criminal marijuana manufacturing and money laundering operation. Lucas, for her part, suggested that the prosecution was politically motivated.

"I grew up under Jim Crow. I've seen what happens when people in power try to silence those who stand up to them. I spent my life fighting back, and I'm not stopping now," she said in a statement.

"I'm not new to this. I'm true to this," she added.

"Jim Crow" is a term used to define the period between the end of Reconstruction and the civil rights movement. It was marked by racially discriminatory laws.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.