{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/18.2-484.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/18.2-484.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/18.2-484.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/18.2-484.html"}],"law_id":81643,"edition_id":1,"section_id":81643,"structure_id":13025,"section_number":"18.2-484","catch_line":"Advocacy of change in government by force, violence or other unlawful means","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 18.1-421; 1960, c. 358; 1962, c. 343; 1975, cc. 14, 15.","full_text":"It shall be unlawful for any person, group, or organization to advocate any change, by force, violence, or other unlawful means in the government of the Commonwealth of Virginia or any of its subdivisions or in the government of the United States of America.\n\t\tIt shall be unlawful for any person to join, assist or otherwise contribute to any group or organization which, to the knowledge of such person, advocates or has as its purpose, aim or objective, any change, by force, violence, or other unlawful means in the government of the Commonwealth of Virginia or any of its subdivisions or in the government of the United States of America.\n\t\tViolation of this section shall be punishable as a Class 6 felony.\n\t\tNothing herein shall be construed to limit or prohibit the advocacy, orally or otherwise, of any change, by peaceful means, in the government of the Commonwealth or any of its subdivisions or in the government of the United States.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":292421,"text":"It shall be unlawful for any person, group, or organization to advocate any change, by force, violence, or other unlawful means in the government of the Commonwealth of Virginia or any of its subdivisions or in the government of the United States of America.\n\t\tIt shall be unlawful for any person to join, assist or otherwise contribute to any group or organization which, to the knowledge of such person, advocates or has as its purpose, aim or objective, any change, by force, violence, or other unlawful means in the government of the Commonwealth of Virginia or any of its subdivisions or in the government of the United States of America.\n\t\tViolation of this section shall be punishable as a Class 6 felony.\n\t\tNothing herein shall be construed to limit or prohibit the advocacy, orally or otherwise, of any change, by peaceful means, in the government of the Commonwealth or any of its subdivisions or in the government of the United States.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":13025,"edition_id":1,"name":"Treason and Related Offenses","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13024,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:09","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:09","permalink":{"id":164499,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13025,"identifier":"1","token":"18.2\/11\/1","url":"\/18.2\/11\/1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13024,"edition_id":1,"name":"Offenses Against the Sovereignty of the Commonwealth","identifier":"11","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12972,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:09","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:09","permalink":{"id":164497,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13024,"identifier":"11","token":"18.2\/11","url":"\/18.2\/11\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12972,"edition_id":1,"name":"Crimes and Offenses Generally","identifier":"18.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:05","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:05","permalink":{"id":164139,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12972,"identifier":"18.2","token":"18.2","url":"\/18.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":54092,"structure_id":13025,"section_number":"18.2-481","catch_line":"Treason defined; how proved and punished","url":"\/18.2-481\/","token":"18.2\/11\/1\/18.2-481","metadata":false},{"id":80129,"structure_id":13025,"section_number":"18.2-482","catch_line":"Misprision of treason","url":"\/18.2-482\/","token":"18.2\/11\/1\/18.2-482","metadata":false},{"id":74098,"structure_id":13025,"section_number":"18.2-483","catch_line":"Attempting, or instigating others, to establish usurped government","url":"\/18.2-483\/","token":"18.2\/11\/1\/18.2-483","metadata":false},{"id":81643,"structure_id":13025,"section_number":"18.2-484","catch_line":"Advocacy of change in government by force, violence or other unlawful means","url":"\/18.2-484\/","token":"18.2\/11\/1\/18.2-484","metadata":false},{"id":85381,"structure_id":13025,"section_number":"18.2-485","catch_line":"Conspiring to incite one race to insurrection against another race","url":"\/18.2-485\/","token":"18.2\/11\/1\/18.2-485","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":74098,"structure_id":13025,"section_number":"18.2-483","catch_line":"Attempting, or instigating others, to establish usurped government","url":"\/18.2-483\/","token":"18.2\/11\/1\/18.2-483","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":85381,"structure_id":13025,"section_number":"18.2-485","catch_line":"Conspiring to incite one race to insurrection against another race","url":"\/18.2-485\/","token":"18.2\/11\/1\/18.2-485","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/18.2-484\/","history_text":"<p>The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 3 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 1960, chapter 358; in 1962, chapter 343; in 1975, chapters 14 and 15.<\/p>","references":[{"id":61280,"section_number":"19.2-392.02","catch_line":"National criminal background checks by businesses and organizations regarding employees or volunteers providing care to children or the elderly or disabled","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-392.02\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":164513,"object_type":"law","relational_id":81643,"identifier":"18.2-484","token":"18.2\/11\/1\/18.2-484","url":"\/18.2-484\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/18.2-484\/","token":"18.2\/11\/1\/18.2-484","dublin_core":{"Title":"Advocacy of change in government by force, violence or other unlawful means","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 18.2-484","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section><p>It shall be unlawful for any person, group, or organization to advocate any change, by force, violence, or other unlawful means in the government of the Commonwealth of Virginia or any of its subdivisions or in the government of the United States of America.\n\t\tIt shall be unlawful for any person to join, assist or otherwise contribute to any group or organization which, to the knowledge of such person, advocates or has as its purpose, aim or objective, any change, by force, violence, or other unlawful means in the government of the Commonwealth of Virginia or any of its subdivisions or in the government of the United States of America.\n\t\tViolation of this section shall be punishable as a Class 6 <span class=\"dictionary\">felony<\/span>.\n\t\tNothing herein shall be construed to limit or prohibit the advocacy, orally or otherwise, of any change, by peaceful means, in the government of the Commonwealth or any of its subdivisions or in the government of the United States.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":"                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nADVOCACY OF CHANGE IN GOVERNMENT BY FORCE, VIOLENCE OR OTHER UNLAWFUL MEANS (\u00a7\n18.2-484)\n\nIt shall be unlawful for any person, group, or organization to advocate any\nchange, by force, violence, or other unlawful means in the government of the\nCommonwealth of Virginia or any of its subdivisions or in the government of the\nUnited States of America.\n\t\tIt shall be unlawful for any person to join, assist or otherwise contribute to\nany group or organization which, to the knowledge of such person, advocates or\nhas as its purpose, aim or objective, any change, by force, violence, or other\nunlawful means in the government of the Commonwealth of Virginia or any of its\nsubdivisions or in the government of the United States of America.\n\t\tViolation of this section shall be punishable as a Class 6 felony.\n\t\tNothing herein shall be construed to limit or prohibit the advocacy, orally or\notherwise, of any change, by peaceful means, in the government of the\nCommonwealth or any of its subdivisions or in the government of the United\nStates.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 18.1-421; 1960, c. 358; 1962, c. 343; 1975, cc. 14, 15.","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}}