The Virginia Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Tuesday morning in the case of 40 Gloucester residents appealing $80,000 worth of sanctions levied against them, stemming from organizing petitions to oust four Gloucester County supervisors from office in 2008.

The removal effort petitioners pursued followed a five-month special grand jury investigation that returned 14 misdemeanor indictments against former supervisor Teresa Altemus and current supervisors Bobby Crewe, Michelle Ressler and Gregory Woodard on July 8, 2008.

The indictments charged malfeasance, misfeasance and misuse of office in connection with the four supervisors’ actions during and immediately following a controversial board of supervisors’ meeting of Jan. 2-3, 2008. Criminal and civil charges were later dropped against the four members of the governing body.

The petitions, which collected over 6,000 signatures, were non-suited on motion by a special prosecutor during a brief hearing that Novem...