Benjamin James Vernia

Ben graduated from the University of Michigan and Vanderbilt Law School, worked for the Department of Justice in the Civil Fraud division, prosecuting qui tam, or whistleblower, cases, a job that entailed fighting for the underdog and one that fit him well. He left to work for the Covington & Burling law firm, and shortly after, founded his own firm, The Vernia Law Firm.

While working at Covington, he took on the case of Cory Maye, a death-row inmate wrongly sentenced for shooting to death the son of his small Mississippi town. Police officers raided the wrong home of a duplex in the night, frightening Cory, who was asleep with his toddler daughter and fired in self-defense. After years of work and with the help of local counsel, Ben got Cory’s conviction lessened from murder to manslaughter, and his sentence reduced to time served. Freeing Cory to be with his mother and daughter was one of the proudest moments of Ben’s life.

Ben was a man of many interests and never knew a hobby or project that he wasn’t up to tackling. As an undergrad, he loved biology and worked for the tissue-typing lab at UofM – the experience inspired him to become a Red Cross super donor, giving some eight gallons over his lifetime. He taught himself computer programming in the early ’80s, before it was cool, and worked full-time as a programmer for U of M after graduation. He earned his pilot’s license and flew his friends on jaunts from Ann Arbor to Chicago, Traverse City and Philadelphia. In law school, he was editor of the Law Review and earned renown for his elaborate class outlines, which he gave to the law library to share.

His other interests included (but weren’t limited to) French baking and cooking and hosting dinner parties, fixing cars, skuba, stained glass, collecting nickels (!), wine, piano, learning French, and of course, Mardi Gras. He perfected a recipe for king cake and made dozens during the season, hoping to share a little of the Mardi Gras spirit far and wide.

At parties and gatherings, Ben would seek out the person standing in the back with no one to talk to and strike up a conversation. May we all follow his lead next time we see someone standing alone.

He is survived by his wife, Carol Ritchie; children Peter, Willy and Annabel; parents Pete and Sue; brother, Dan; nephew, Colin; and niece, Hannah Vernia Williamson. He is dearly missed by all who knew him.

A celebration of life memorial for Benjamin will be held Sunday, June 22, 2025 at 2:00 PM at First Presbyterian Arlington, 601 N. Vermont St., Arlington, VA 22203.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the American Civil Liberties Union, or First Presbyterian Church of Arlington.