{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/19.2-266.3.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/19.2-266.3.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/19.2-266.3.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/19.2-266.3.html"}],"law_id":70813,"edition_id":1,"section_id":70813,"structure_id":13621,"section_number":"19.2-266.3","catch_line":"Continuances; appearances of parties","history":"2013, c. 154.","full_text":"When the court grants a continuance in advance of the date of a scheduled trial or hearing, if the defendant acknowledges in writing, on a form provided by the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court, that he promises to appear in court on the date and time of the newly scheduled trial or hearing, the court shall not require counsel or the defendant to appear on the date when the trial or hearing was originally scheduled. However, if the defendant is in violation of the terms of his pretrial release or has failed to appear at any court proceeding, the court may require the defendant to appear on the date when the trial or hearing was originally scheduled as a condition of any continuance granted.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":255389,"text":"When the court grants a continuance in advance of the date of a scheduled trial or hearing, if the defendant acknowledges in writing, on a form provided by the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court, that he promises to appear in court on the date and time of the newly scheduled trial or hearing, the court shall not require counsel or the defendant to appear on the date when the trial or hearing was originally scheduled. However, if the defendant is in violation of the terms of his pretrial release or has failed to appear at any court proceeding, the court may require the defendant to appear on the date when the trial or hearing was originally scheduled as a condition of any continuance granted.","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":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},"next_section":{"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},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/19.2-266.3\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2013. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 154<\/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":false,"permalink":{"id":169203,"object_type":"law","relational_id":70813,"identifier":"19.2-266.3","token":"19.2\/15\/5\/19.2-266.3","url":"\/19.2-266.3\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/19.2-266.3\/","token":"19.2\/15\/5\/19.2-266.3","dublin_core":{"Title":"Continuances; appearances of parties","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 19.2-266.3","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

When the court<\/span> grants a continuance<\/span> in advance of the date of a scheduled trial<\/span> or hearing<\/span>, if the defendant<\/span> acknowledges in writing, on a form provided by the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court<\/span>, that he promises to appear in court<\/span> on the date and time of the newly scheduled trial<\/span> or hearing<\/span>, the court<\/span> shall not require counsel<\/span> or the defendant<\/span> to appear on the date when the trial<\/span> or hearing<\/span> was originally scheduled. However, if the defendant<\/span> is in violation of the terms of his pretrial release or has failed to appear at any court<\/span> proceeding, the court<\/span> may require the defendant<\/span> to appear on the date when the trial<\/span> or hearing<\/span> was originally scheduled as a condition of any continuance<\/span> granted.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nCONTINUANCES; APPEARANCES OF PARTIES (\u00a7 19.2-266.3)\n\nWhen the court grants a continuance in advance of the date of a scheduled trial\nor hearing, if the defendant acknowledges in writing, on a form provided by the\nOffice of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court, that he promises to\nappear in court on the date and time of the newly scheduled trial or hearing,\nthe court shall not require counsel or the defendant to appear on the date when\nthe trial or hearing was originally scheduled. However, if the defendant is in\nviolation of the terms of his pretrial release or has failed to appear at any\ncourt proceeding, the court may require the defendant to appear on the date when\nthe trial or hearing was originally scheduled as a condition of any continuance\ngranted.\n\nHISTORY: 2013, c. 154.","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}}