{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/19.2-265.1.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/19.2-265.1.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/19.2-265.1.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/19.2-265.1.html"}],"law_id":54588,"edition_id":1,"section_id":54588,"structure_id":13621,"section_number":"19.2-265.1","catch_line":"Exclusion of witnesses (Subsection (a) of Supreme Court Rule 2:615 derived in part from this section and subsection (c) of Supreme Court Rule 2:615 derived from this section)","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 8-211.1; 1966, c. 268; 1975, c. 652; 1977, c. 624; 1990, c. 572; 2004, c. 311.","full_text":"In the trial of every criminal case, the court, whether a court of record or a court not of record, may upon its own motion and shall upon the motion of either the attorney for the Commonwealth or any defendant, require the exclusion of every witness to be called, including, but not limited to, police officers or other investigators; however, each defendant who is an individual and one officer or agent of each defendant which is a corporation or association shall be exempt from the rule of this section as a matter of right. Additionally, any victim as defined in \u00a7 19.2-11.01 who is to be called as a witness shall be exempt from the rule of this section as a matter of law unless, in accordance with the provisions of \u00a7 19.2-265.01, his exclusion is otherwise required.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":200436,"text":"In the trial of every criminal case, the court, whether a court of record or a court not of record, may upon its own motion and shall upon the motion of either the attorney for the Commonwealth or any defendant, require the exclusion of every witness to be called, including, but not limited to, police officers or other investigators; however, each defendant who is an individual and one officer or agent of each defendant which is a corporation or association shall be exempt from the rule of this section as a matter of right. Additionally, any victim as defined in \u00a7 19.2-11.01 who is to be called as a witness shall be exempt from the rule of this section as a matter of law unless, in accordance with the provisions of \u00a7 19.2-265.01, his exclusion is otherwise required.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":13621,"edition_id":1,"name":"Miscellaneous Provisions","identifier":"5","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12803,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:24","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:24","permalink":{"id":169157,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13621,"identifier":"5","token":"19.2\/15\/5","url":"\/19.2\/15\/5\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12803,"edition_id":1,"name":"Trial and Its Incidents","identifier":"15","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12801,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:53","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:53","permalink":{"id":168975,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12803,"identifier":"15","token":"19.2\/15","url":"\/19.2\/15\/","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":56724,"structure_id":13621,"section_number":"19.2-265","catch_line":"Opening statement of counsel","url":"\/19.2-265\/","token":"19.2\/15\/5\/19.2-265","metadata":false},{"id":85173,"structure_id":13621,"section_number":"19.2-265.01","catch_line":"Victims, certain members of the family and support persons not to be excluded","url":"\/19.2-265.01\/","token":"19.2\/15\/5\/19.2-265.01","metadata":false},{"id":54588,"structure_id":13621,"section_number":"19.2-265.1","catch_line":"Exclusion of witnesses (Subsection (a) of Supreme Court Rule 2:615 derived in part from this section and subsection (c) of Supreme Court Rule 2:615 derived from this section)","url":"\/19.2-265.1\/","token":"19.2\/15\/5\/19.2-265.1","metadata":false},{"id":62995,"structure_id":13621,"section_number":"19.2-265.2","catch_line":"Judicial notice of laws (Supreme Court Rule 2:202 derived in part from this section)","url":"\/19.2-265.2\/","token":"19.2\/15\/5\/19.2-265.2","metadata":false},{"id":78352,"structure_id":13621,"section_number":"19.2-265.3","catch_line":"Nolle prosequi; discretion of court upon good cause shown","url":"\/19.2-265.3\/","token":"19.2\/15\/5\/19.2-265.3","metadata":false},{"id":79731,"structure_id":13621,"section_number":"19.2-265.4","catch_line":"Failure to provide discovery","url":"\/19.2-265.4\/","token":"19.2\/15\/5\/19.2-265.4","metadata":false},{"id":54730,"structure_id":13621,"section_number":"19.2-265.5","catch_line":"Prosecuting misdemeanor cases without attorney","url":"\/19.2-265.5\/","token":"19.2\/15\/5\/19.2-265.5","metadata":false},{"id":66348,"structure_id":13621,"section_number":"19.2-265.6","catch_line":"Dismissal of criminal charges on Commonwealth's motion; effect of dismissal of criminal charges","url":"\/19.2-265.6\/","token":"19.2\/15\/5\/19.2-265.6","metadata":false},{"id":73702,"structure_id":13621,"section_number":"19.2-266","catch_line":"Exclusion of persons from trial; photographs and broadcasting permitted under designated guidelines; exceptions","url":"\/19.2-266\/","token":"19.2\/15\/5\/19.2-266","metadata":false},{"id":79118,"structure_id":13621,"section_number":"19.2-266.1","catch_line":"Conviction of lesser offense on indictment for homicide","url":"\/19.2-266.1\/","token":"19.2\/15\/5\/19.2-266.1","metadata":false},{"id":86223,"structure_id":13621,"section_number":"19.2-266.2","catch_line":"Defense objections to be raised before trial; hearing; bill of particulars","url":"\/19.2-266.2\/","token":"19.2\/15\/5\/19.2-266.2","metadata":false},{"id":70813,"structure_id":13621,"section_number":"19.2-266.3","catch_line":"Continuances; appearances of parties","url":"\/19.2-266.3\/","token":"19.2\/15\/5\/19.2-266.3","metadata":false},{"id":60932,"structure_id":13621,"section_number":"19.2-266.4","catch_line":"Expert assistance for indigent defendants","url":"\/19.2-266.4\/","token":"19.2\/15\/5\/19.2-266.4","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":85173,"structure_id":13621,"section_number":"19.2-265.01","catch_line":"Victims, certain members of the family and support persons not to be excluded","url":"\/19.2-265.01\/","token":"19.2\/15\/5\/19.2-265.01","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":62995,"structure_id":13621,"section_number":"19.2-265.2","catch_line":"Judicial notice of laws (Supreme Court Rule 2:202 derived in part from this section)","url":"\/19.2-265.2\/","token":"19.2\/15\/5\/19.2-265.2","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/19.2-265.1\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 5 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 1966, chapter 268; in 1975, chapter 652; in 1977, chapter 624; in 1990, chapter 572; in 2004, chapter 311<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":54730,"section_number":"19.2-265.5","catch_line":"Prosecuting misdemeanor cases without attorney","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-265.5\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":56192,"section_number":"19.2-11.01","catch_line":"Crime victim and witness rights","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-11.01\/"},{"id":85173,"section_number":"19.2-265.01","catch_line":"Victims, certain members of the family and support persons not to be excluded","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-265.01\/"}],"permalink":{"id":169167,"object_type":"law","relational_id":54588,"identifier":"19.2-265.1","token":"19.2\/15\/5\/19.2-265.1","url":"\/19.2-265.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/19.2-265.1\/","token":"19.2\/15\/5\/19.2-265.1","dublin_core":{"Title":"Exclusion of witnesses (Subsection (a) of Supreme Court Rule 2:615 derived in part from this section and subsection (c) of Supreme Court Rule 2:615 derived from this section)","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 19.2-265.1","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

In the trial<\/span> of every criminal case, the court<\/span>, whether a court<\/span> of record or a court<\/span> not of record, may upon its own motion<\/span> and shall upon the motion<\/span> of either the attorney for the Commonwealth or any defendant<\/span>, require the exclusion of every witness<\/span> to be called, including, but not limited to, police officers or other investigators; however, each defendant<\/span> who is an individual and one officer or agent of each defendant<\/span> which is a corporation or association shall be exempt from the rule of this section as a matter of right. Additionally, any victim as defined in \u00a7 19.2-11.01<\/a> who is to be called as a witness<\/span> shall be exempt from the rule of this section as a matter of law<\/span> unless, in accordance with the provisions of \u00a7 19.2-265.01<\/a>, his exclusion is otherwise required.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nEXCLUSION OF WITNESSES (SUBSECTION (A) OF SUPREME COURT RULE 2:615 DERIVED IN\nPART FROM THIS SECTION AND SUBSECTION (C) OF SUPREME COURT RULE 2:615 DERIVED\nFROM THIS SECTION) (\u00a7 19.2-265.1)\n\nIn the trial of every criminal case, the court, whether a court of record or a\ncourt not of record, may upon its own motion and shall upon the motion of either\nthe attorney for the Commonwealth or any defendant, require the exclusion of\nevery witness to be called, including, but not limited to, police officers or\nother investigators; however, each defendant who is an individual and one\nofficer or agent of each defendant which is a corporation or association shall\nbe exempt from the rule of this section as a matter of right. Additionally, any\nvictim as defined in \u00a7 19.2-11.01 who is to be called as a witness shall be\nexempt from the rule of this section as a matter of law unless, in accordance\nwith the provisions of \u00a7 19.2-265.01, his exclusion is otherwise required.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 8-211.1; 1966, c. 268; 1975, c. 652; 1977, c. 624; 1990,\nc. 572; 2004, c. 311.","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}}