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newspersons engaged in journalism","url":"\/19.2-271.5\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-271.5","metadata":false},{"id":58525,"structure_id":12962,"section_number":"19.2-271.6","catch_line":"Evidence of defendant's mental condition admissible; notice to Commonwealth","url":"\/19.2-271.6\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-271.6","metadata":false},{"id":63925,"structure_id":12962,"section_number":"19.2-271.7","catch_line":"Notifying defendant of consequences criminal proceedings can have on immigration","url":"\/19.2-271.7\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-271.7","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":66486,"structure_id":12962,"section_number":"19.2-271.2","catch_line":"Testimony of spouses in criminal cases (Subsection (b) of Supreme Court Rule 2:504 derived from this section)","url":"\/19.2-271.2\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-271.2","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":74779,"structure_id":12962,"section_number":"19.2-271.4","catch_line":"Privileged communications by certain public safety personnel","url":"\/19.2-271.4\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-271.4","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/19.2-271.3\/","history_text":"<p>This law was first created in 1985. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 570 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. Unfortunately, the 1985 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online.<\/p>","references":[{"id":86098,"section_number":"63.2-1509","catch_line":"Requirement that certain injuries to children be reported by physicians, nurses, teachers, etc.; penalty for failure to report","order_by":null,"url":"\/63.2-1509\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":169307,"object_type":"law","relational_id":54753,"identifier":"19.2-271.3","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-271.3","url":"\/19.2-271.3\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/19.2-271.3\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-271.3","dublin_core":{"Title":"Communications between ministers of religion and persons they counsel or advise (Supreme Court Rule 2:503 derived in part from this section)","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 19.2-271.3","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section><p>No regular minister, priest, rabbi or accredited practitioner over the age of eighteen years, of any religious organization or denomination usually referred to as a church, shall be required in giving <span class=\"dictionary\">testimony<\/span> as a <span class=\"dictionary\">witness<\/span> in any criminal action to disclose any information communicated to him by the <span class=\"dictionary\">accused<\/span> in a confidential manner, properly entrusted to him in his professional capacity and necessary to enable him to discharge the functions of his office according to the usual course of his practice or discipline, where such person so communicating such information about himself or another is seeking spiritual <span class=\"dictionary\">counsel<\/span> and advice relative to and growing out of the information so imparted.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":"                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nCOMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN MINISTERS OF RELIGION AND PERSONS THEY COUNSEL OR ADVISE\n(SUPREME COURT RULE 2:503 DERIVED IN PART FROM THIS SECTION) (\u00a7 19.2-271.3)\n\nNo regular minister, priest, rabbi or accredited practitioner over the age of\neighteen years, of any religious organization or denomination usually referred\nto as a church, shall be required in giving testimony as a witness in any\ncriminal action to disclose any information communicated to him by the accused\nin a confidential manner, properly entrusted to him in his professional capacity\nand necessary to enable him to discharge the functions of his office according\nto the usual course of his practice or discipline, where such person so\ncommunicating such information about himself or another is seeking spiritual\ncounsel and advice relative to and growing out of the information so imparted.\n\nHISTORY: 1985, c. 570.","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}}