{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/19.2-265.6.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/19.2-265.6.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/19.2-265.6.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/19.2-265.6.html"}],"law_id":66348,"edition_id":1,"section_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","history":"2007, c. 419; 2020, Sp. Sess. I, cc. 20, 21.","full_text":"A\n\nUpon motion of the Commonwealth to dismiss a charge, whether with or without prejudice, and with the consent of the defendant, a court shall grant the motion unless the court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the motion was made as the result of (i) bribery or (ii) bias or prejudice toward a victim as defined in § 19.2-11.01 because of the race, religious conviction, gender, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, color, or national origin of the victim.B\n\nNo dismissal of any criminal charge by a court shall bar subsequent prosecution of the charge unless jeopardy attached at the earlier proceeding or unless the dismissal order explicitly states that the dismissal is with prejudice.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":240877,"text":"Upon motion of the Commonwealth to dismiss a charge, whether with or without prejudice, and with the consent of the defendant, a court shall grant the motion unless the court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the motion was made as the result of (i) bribery or (ii) bias or prejudice toward a victim as defined in § 19.2-11.01 because of the race, religious conviction, gender, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, color, or national origin of the victim.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":240878,"text":"No dismissal of any criminal charge by a court shall bar subsequent prosecution of the charge unless jeopardy attached at the earlier proceeding or unless the dismissal order explicitly states that the dismissal is with prejudice.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A"}},"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; 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This law was first created in 2007. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 419<\/a> of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year.<\/p>","references":false,"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\/"}],"permalink":{"id":169187,"object_type":"law","relational_id":66348,"identifier":"19.2-265.6","token":"19.2\/15\/5\/19.2-265.6","url":"\/19.2-265.6\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/19.2-265.6\/","token":"19.2\/15\/5\/19.2-265.6","dublin_core":{"Title":"Dismissal of criminal charges on Commonwealth’s motion; effect of dismissal of criminal charges","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 19.2-265.6","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> Upon motion<\/span> of the Commonwealth to dismiss a charge, whether with or without prejudice, and with the consent of the defendant<\/span>, a court<\/span> shall grant the motion<\/span> unless the court<\/span> finds by clear and convincing evidence<\/span> that the motion<\/span> was made as the result of (i) bribery or (ii) bias or prejudice toward a victim as defined in § 19.2-11.01<\/a> because of the race, religious conviction<\/span>, gender, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, color, or national origin of the victim. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> No dismissal<\/span> of any criminal charge by a court<\/span> shall bar subsequent prosecution<\/span> of the charge unless jeopardy attached at the earlier proceeding or unless the dismissal<\/span> order<\/span> explicitly states that the dismissal<\/span> is with prejudice. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDISMISSAL OF CRIMINAL CHARGES ON COMMONWEALTH’S MOTION; EFFECT OF\nDISMISSAL OF CRIMINAL CHARGES (\u00a7 19.2-265.6)\n\nA. Upon motion of the Commonwealth to dismiss a charge, whether with or without\nprejudice, and with the consent of the defendant, a court shall grant the motion\nunless the court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the motion was made\nas the result of (i) bribery or (ii) bias or prejudice toward a victim as\ndefined in § 19.2-11.01 because of the race, religious conviction, gender,\ndisability, gender identity, sexual orientation, color, or national origin of\nthe victim.\n\nB. No dismissal of any criminal charge by a court shall bar subsequent\nprosecution of the charge unless jeopardy attached at the earlier proceeding or\nunless the dismissal order explicitly states that the dismissal is with\nprejudice.\n\nHISTORY: 2007, c. 419; 2020, Sp. Sess. I, cc. 20, 21.","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}}