{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/16.1-303.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/16.1-303.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/16.1-303.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/16.1-303.html"}],"law_id":62170,"edition_id":1,"section_id":62170,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-303","catch_line":"Reports of court officials and employees when privileged","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 16.1-209; 1956, c. 555; 1958, c. 354; 1977, c. 559; 1996, cc. 755, 914.","full_text":"All information obtained in discharge of official duties by any official or by any employee of the court shall be privileged, and shall not be disclosed to anyone other than the judge unless and until otherwise ordered by the judge or by the judge of a circuit court; provided, however, that in any case when such information shall disclose that an offense has been committed which would be a felony if committed by an adult, it shall be the duty of the official or employee of the court obtaining such information to report the same promptly to the attorney for the Commonwealth or the police in the county, city or town where the offense occurred. It shall not be deemed a violation of this section if the disclosed information is otherwise available to the public.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":226786,"text":"All information obtained in discharge of official duties by any official or by any employee of the court shall be privileged, and shall not be disclosed to anyone other than the judge unless and until otherwise ordered by the judge or by the judge of a circuit court; provided, however, that in any case when such information shall disclose that an offense has been committed which would be a felony if committed by an adult, it shall be the duty of the official or employee of the court obtaining such information to report the same promptly to the attorney for the Commonwealth or the police in the county, city or town where the offense occurred. It shall not be deemed a violation of this section if the disclosed information is otherwise available to the public.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":13940,"edition_id":1,"name":"Confidentiality and Expungement","identifier":"12","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12701,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:46:21","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:46:21","permalink":{"id":161017,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13940,"identifier":"12","token":"16.1\/11\/12","url":"\/16.1\/11\/12\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12701,"edition_id":1,"name":"Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Courts","identifier":"11","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12700,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","permalink":{"id":160945,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12701,"identifier":"11","token":"16.1\/11","url":"\/16.1\/11\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12700,"edition_id":1,"name":"Courts Not of Record","identifier":"16.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","permalink":{"id":160919,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12700,"identifier":"16.1","token":"16.1","url":"\/16.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":84235,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-299","catch_line":"(Effective until July 1, 2026) Fingerprints and photographs of juveniles","url":"\/16.1-299\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-299","metadata":false},{"id":64607,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-299.1","catch_line":"Sample required for DNA analysis upon conviction or adjudication of felony","url":"\/16.1-299.1\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-299.1","metadata":false},{"id":54996,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-299.2","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/16.1-299.2\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-299.2","metadata":false},{"id":86382,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-300","catch_line":"Confidentiality of Department records","url":"\/16.1-300\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-300","metadata":false},{"id":74120,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-301","catch_line":"Confidentiality of juvenile law-enforcement records; 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notice of hearings","url":"\/16.1-302.1\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-302.1","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":57650,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-304","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/16.1-304\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-304","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/16.1-303\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 4 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1956, chapter 555; in 1958, chapter 354; in 1977, chapter 559; in 1996, chapters 755<\/a> and 914<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":161047,"object_type":"law","relational_id":62170,"identifier":"16.1-303","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-303","url":"\/16.1-303\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/16.1-303\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-303","dublin_core":{"Title":"Reports of court officials and employees when privileged","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 16.1-303","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

All information obtained in discharge of official duties by any official or by any employee of the court<\/span> shall be privileged, and shall not be disclosed to anyone other than the judge<\/span> unless and until otherwise ordered by the judge<\/span> or by the judge<\/span> of a circuit<\/span> court; provided, however, that in any case when such information shall disclose that an offense<\/span> has been committed which would be a felony<\/span> if committed by an adult<\/span>, it shall be the duty of the official or employee of the court<\/span> obtaining such information to report the same promptly to the attorney for the Commonwealth or the police in the county, city or town where the offense<\/span> occurred. It shall not be deemed a violation of this section if the disclosed information is otherwise available to the public.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nREPORTS OF COURT OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEES WHEN PRIVILEGED (\u00a7 16.1-303)\n\nAll information obtained in discharge of official duties by any official or by\nany employee of the court shall be privileged, and shall not be disclosed to\nanyone other than the judge unless and until otherwise ordered by the judge or\nby the judge of a circuit court; provided, however, that in any case when such\ninformation shall disclose that an offense has been committed which would be a\nfelony if committed by an adult, it shall be the duty of the official or\nemployee of the court obtaining such information to report the same promptly to\nthe attorney for the Commonwealth or the police in the county, city or town\nwhere the offense occurred. It shall not be deemed a violation of this section\nif the disclosed information is otherwise available to the public.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 16.1-209; 1956, c. 555; 1958, c. 354; 1977, c. 559; 1996,\ncc. 755, 914.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}