{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/19.2-194.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/19.2-194.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/19.2-194.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/19.2-194.html"}],"law_id":84278,"edition_id":1,"section_id":84278,"structure_id":14962,"section_number":"19.2-194","catch_line":"When and how grand jurors to be selected and summoned; lists to be delivered to clerk","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 19.1-148; 1960, c. 366; 1971, Ex. Sess., c. 262; 1973, cc. 401, 439; 1974, c. 618; 1975, c. 495; 1991, c. 226; 2003, c. 825; 2004, c. 306; 2008, c. 644.","full_text":"The judge or judges regularly presiding in the circuit court of each county and city shall annually, in the month of June, July, or August, select from citizens of the county or city at least 60 persons and not more than 120 persons 18 years of age or over, of honesty, intelligence, impartiality, and good demeanor and suitable in all respects to serve as grand jurors, who, except as hereinafter provided, shall be the grand jurors for the county or city from which they are selected for the next 12 months. The judge or judges making the selection shall at once furnish to the clerk of the circuit court a list of those selected for that county or city.\n\t\tThe clerk, not more than 20 days before the commencement of each term of his court at which a regular grand jury is required, shall issue a venire facias to the sheriff of his county or city, commanding him to summon not less than five nor more than nine of the persons selected as aforesaid (the number to be designated by the judge of the court by an order entered of record) to be named in the writ to appear on the first day of the court to serve as grand jurors. Those persons who are to be summoned shall be randomly selected but no such person shall be required to appear more than once until all the others have been summoned once, nor more than twice until the others have been twice summoned, and so on. The Circuit Court of James City County, or the judge thereof in vacation, shall select the grand jurors for each court from such county and the City of Williamsburg in such proportion from each as he may think proper.\n\t\tAny person who has legal custody of and is responsible for a child 16 years of age or younger or a person having a mental or physical impairment requiring continuous care during normal court hours shall be excused from jury service upon his request.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":302128,"text":"The judge or judges regularly presiding in the circuit court of each county and city shall annually, in the month of June, July, or August, select from citizens of the county or city at least 60 persons and not more than 120 persons 18 years of age or over, of honesty, intelligence, impartiality, and good demeanor and suitable in all respects to serve as grand jurors, who, except as hereinafter provided, shall be the grand jurors for the county or city from which they are selected for the next 12 months. The judge or judges making the selection shall at once furnish to the clerk of the circuit court a list of those selected for that county or city.\n\t\tThe clerk, not more than 20 days before the commencement of each term of his court at which a regular grand jury is required, shall issue a venire facias to the sheriff of his county or city, commanding him to summon not less than five nor more than nine of the persons selected as aforesaid (the number to be designated by the judge of the court by an order entered of record) to be named in the writ to appear on the first day of the court to serve as grand jurors. Those persons who are to be summoned shall be randomly selected but no such person shall be required to appear more than once until all the others have been summoned once, nor more than twice until the others have been twice summoned, and so on. The Circuit Court of James City County, or the judge thereof in vacation, shall select the grand jurors for each court from such county and the City of Williamsburg in such proportion from each as he may think proper.\n\t\tAny person who has legal custody of and is responsible for a child 16 years of age or younger or a person having a mental or physical impairment requiring continuous care during normal court hours shall be excused from jury service upon his request.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":14962,"edition_id":1,"name":"Regular Grand Juries","identifier":"2","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":14961,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:51:07","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:51:07","permalink":{"id":168715,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14962,"identifier":"2","token":"19.2\/13\/2","url":"\/19.2\/13\/2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":14961,"edition_id":1,"name":"Grand Juries","identifier":"13","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12801,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:51:07","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:51:07","permalink":{"id":168699,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14961,"identifier":"13","token":"19.2\/13","url":"\/19.2\/13\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12801,"edition_id":1,"name":"Criminal Procedure","identifier":"19.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:53","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:53","permalink":{"id":168169,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12801,"identifier":"19.2","token":"19.2","url":"\/19.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":67807,"structure_id":14962,"section_number":"19.2-193","catch_line":"Number of regular grand juries","url":"\/19.2-193\/","token":"19.2\/13\/2\/19.2-193","metadata":false},{"id":84278,"structure_id":14962,"section_number":"19.2-194","catch_line":"When and how grand jurors to be selected and summoned; lists to be delivered to clerk","url":"\/19.2-194\/","token":"19.2\/13\/2\/19.2-194","metadata":false},{"id":79985,"structure_id":14962,"section_number":"19.2-195","catch_line":"Number and qualifications of grand jurors","url":"\/19.2-195\/","token":"19.2\/13\/2\/19.2-195","metadata":false},{"id":57374,"structure_id":14962,"section_number":"19.2-196","catch_line":"How deficiency of jurors supplied","url":"\/19.2-196\/","token":"19.2\/13\/2\/19.2-196","metadata":false},{"id":62594,"structure_id":14962,"section_number":"19.2-197","catch_line":"Foreman of grand jury; oaths of jurors and witnesses","url":"\/19.2-197\/","token":"19.2\/13\/2\/19.2-197","metadata":false},{"id":57080,"structure_id":14962,"section_number":"19.2-198","catch_line":"When new foreman or juror may be sworn in","url":"\/19.2-198\/","token":"19.2\/13\/2\/19.2-198","metadata":false},{"id":69742,"structure_id":14962,"section_number":"19.2-199","catch_line":"Judge to charge grand jury","url":"\/19.2-199\/","token":"19.2\/13\/2\/19.2-199","metadata":false},{"id":65226,"structure_id":14962,"section_number":"19.2-200","catch_line":"Duties of grand jury","url":"\/19.2-200\/","token":"19.2\/13\/2\/19.2-200","metadata":false},{"id":59094,"structure_id":14962,"section_number":"19.2-201","catch_line":"Officers to give information of violation of penal laws to attorney for Commonwealth","url":"\/19.2-201\/","token":"19.2\/13\/2\/19.2-201","metadata":false},{"id":73260,"structure_id":14962,"section_number":"19.2-202","catch_line":"How indictments found and presentment made","url":"\/19.2-202\/","token":"19.2\/13\/2\/19.2-202","metadata":false},{"id":70795,"structure_id":14962,"section_number":"19.2-203","catch_line":"Indictments ignored may be sent to another grand jury; what irregularities not to vitiate indictment, etc","url":"\/19.2-203\/","token":"19.2\/13\/2\/19.2-203","metadata":false},{"id":77326,"structure_id":14962,"section_number":"19.2-204","catch_line":"Penalties on officers and jurors for failure of duty","url":"\/19.2-204\/","token":"19.2\/13\/2\/19.2-204","metadata":false},{"id":59742,"structure_id":14962,"section_number":"19.2-205","catch_line":"Pay and mileage of grand jurors","url":"\/19.2-205\/","token":"19.2\/13\/2\/19.2-205","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":67807,"structure_id":14962,"section_number":"19.2-193","catch_line":"Number of regular grand juries","url":"\/19.2-193\/","token":"19.2\/13\/2\/19.2-193","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":79985,"structure_id":14962,"section_number":"19.2-195","catch_line":"Number and qualifications of grand jurors","url":"\/19.2-195\/","token":"19.2\/13\/2\/19.2-195","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/19.2-194\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 8 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 366; in 1973, chapters 401 and 439; in 1974, chapter 618; in 1975, chapter 495; in 1991, chapter 226; in 2003, chapter 825<\/a>; in 2004, chapter 306<\/a>; in 2008, chapter 644<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":65310,"section_number":"19.2-215.4","catch_line":"Number and qualifications of jurors; grand jury list; when convened; compensation of jurors","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-215.4\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":168721,"object_type":"law","relational_id":84278,"identifier":"19.2-194","token":"19.2\/13\/2\/19.2-194","url":"\/19.2-194\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/19.2-194\/","token":"19.2\/13\/2\/19.2-194","dublin_core":{"Title":"When and how grand jurors to be selected and summoned; lists to be delivered to clerk","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 19.2-194","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

The judge<\/span> or judges<\/span> regularly presiding in the circuit<\/span> court<\/span> of each county and city shall annually, in the month of June, July, or August, select from citizens of the county or city at least 60 persons and not more than 120 persons 18 years of age or over, of honesty, intelligence, impartiality, and good demeanor and suitable in all respects to serve as grand jurors, who, except as hereinafter provided, shall be the grand jurors for the county or city from which they are selected for the next 12 months. The judge<\/span> or judges<\/span> making the selection shall at once furnish to the clerk of the circuit<\/span> court<\/span> a list of those selected for that county or city.\n\t\tThe clerk, not more than 20 days before the commencement of each term of his court<\/span> at which a regular grand jury<\/span> is required, shall issue<\/span> a venire<\/span> facias to the sheriff of his county or city, commanding him to summon not less than five nor more than nine of the persons selected as aforesaid (the number to be designated by the judge<\/span> of the court<\/span> by an order<\/span> entered of record) to be named in the writ<\/span> to appear on the first day of the court<\/span> to serve as grand jurors. Those persons who are to be summoned shall be randomly selected but no such person shall be required to appear more than once until all the others have been summoned once, nor more than twice until the others have been twice summoned, and so on. The Circuit<\/span> Court<\/span> of James City County, or the judge<\/span> thereof in vacation, shall select the grand jurors for each court<\/span> from such county and the City of Williamsburg in such proportion from each as he may think proper.\n\t\tAny person who has legal custody<\/span> of and is responsible for a child 16 years of age or younger or a person having a mental or physical impairment requiring continuous care during normal court<\/span> hours shall be excused from jury service upon his request.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nWHEN AND HOW GRAND JURORS TO BE SELECTED AND SUMMONED; LISTS TO BE DELIVERED TO\nCLERK (\u00a7 19.2-194)\n\nThe judge or judges regularly presiding in the circuit court of each county and\ncity shall annually, in the month of June, July, or August, select from citizens\nof the county or city at least 60 persons and not more than 120 persons 18 years\nof age or over, of honesty, intelligence, impartiality, and good demeanor and\nsuitable in all respects to serve as grand jurors, who, except as hereinafter\nprovided, shall be the grand jurors for the county or city from which they are\nselected for the next 12 months. The judge or judges making the selection shall\nat once furnish to the clerk of the circuit court a list of those selected for\nthat county or city.\n\t\tThe clerk, not more than 20 days before the commencement of each term of his\ncourt at which a regular grand jury is required, shall issue a venire facias to\nthe sheriff of his county or city, commanding him to summon not less than five\nnor more than nine of the persons selected as aforesaid (the number to be\ndesignated by the judge of the court by an order entered of record) to be named\nin the writ to appear on the first day of the court to serve as grand jurors.\nThose persons who are to be summoned shall be randomly selected but no such\nperson shall be required to appear more than once until all the others have been\nsummoned once, nor more than twice until the others have been twice summoned,\nand so on. The Circuit Court of James City County, or the judge thereof in\nvacation, shall select the grand jurors for each court from such county and the\nCity of Williamsburg in such proportion from each as he may think proper.\n\t\tAny person who has legal custody of and is responsible for a child 16 years of\nage or younger or a person having a mental or physical impairment requiring\ncontinuous care during normal court hours shall be excused from jury service\nupon his request.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 19.1-148; 1960, c. 366; 1971, Ex. Sess., c. 262; 1973,\ncc. 401, 439; 1974, c. 618; 1975, c. 495; 1991, c. 226; 2003, c. 825; 2004, c.\n306; 2008, c. 644.","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}}