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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>81797</law_id><section_number>16.1-69.9:1</section_number><catch_line>Appointment, terms, etc., of substitute judges</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>18.2-31</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="16.1">Courts Not of Record</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="4.1">District Courts</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="2">Districts; District Courts and Judges</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> Substitute <span class="dictionary">judges</span> shall be appointed by the <span class="dictionary">chief judge</span> of the <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> <span class="dictionary">court</span> having <span class="dictionary">jurisdiction</span> within the district for a term of six years. <a id="paragraph-293090" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/16.1-69.9_1/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> Each substitute judge shall be appointed to serve every general district <span class="dictionary">court</span> and every juvenile and domestic relations district <span class="dictionary">court</span> within the judicial district for which the appointment is made. <a id="paragraph-293091" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/16.1-69.9_1/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> No person shall be appointed under this section until he has submitted his fingerprints to be used for the conduct of a national criminal records search and a Virginia criminal history records search, submitted to a search of the central registry maintained pursuant to &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Central registry; disclosure of information" href="/63.2-1515/">63.2-1515</a> for any founded complaint of child abuse or neglect, and provided a written statement of economic interests on the disclosure form prescribed in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Disclosure form" href="/2.2-3117/">2.2-3117</a>. No person with a criminal <span class="dictionary">conviction</span> for a <span class="dictionary">felony</span> shall be appointed as a substitute judge. <a id="paragraph-293092" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/16.1-69.9_1/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1973, c. 546; 1975, c. 334; 2004, c. 452; 2018, c. 578.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
