A federal judge ruled this week that Virginia law can’t bar Spotsylvania County resident Melissa Brown from working with people who suffer from addiction.

Even though she was allowed to earn her state certification as a substance-abuse counselor, the 51-year-old was told seven years ago she couldn’t work directly with patients because of her past.

She later learned about Virginia’s barrier crime law, which prevents those found guilty of 176 various crimes from working directly with patients in state-regulated facilities.

“The government should never stop people from working because of irrelevant criminal convictions,” said Andrew War, senior attorney with the Institute for Justice, which worked with Brown to challenge the state law. “We’re thrilled the court recognized that."