Will a pending reckless driving charge (going over 80mph) show up on criminal background check? My court date is a month away.

Typically criminal background checks do not include minor traffic offenses, unless you are applying for a job that involves driving for a living. Just make sure they didn't ask you about your driving record. you never want to lie on a job application

I am not licensed in Virginia, but my understanding from speaking with Virginia attorneys is that certain reckless driving offenses in Virginia are criminal misdemeanors and these can include speeding tickets. This means that if you pay the citation or plead guilty, you would have a criminal conviction on your record. You should get an attorney in Virginia to represent you and they can probably plead it down to something that is not a misdemeanor. Otherwise, the reckless driving charge could appear during a background check. Whether it would jeopardize your childcare clearance is another matter. I have been contacted by Maryland clients who have been charged with reckless driving in Virginia and have gotten them to Virginia attorneys under this exact scenario and they have been successful in getting it reduced to a lesser charge.

Driving over 80 mph in Virginia falls under the Reckless Driving statute. If you are convicted, it will be of a class 1 misdemeanor. A person convicted of a class 1 misdemeanor has the potential of being sentenced to up to 1 yr. in jail (that is max., no indication of what you may get) . So this may not be considered a minor traffic citation. That said, it may not be found prior to adjudication. I think you need to be careful about the outcome of your case for future applications. You should consult a Virginia practitioner about the reckless driving charge.