<?xml version="1.0"?>
<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>82678</law_id><section_number>16.1-69.9:4</section_number><catch_line>Same; election of successor judges</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><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><p>Whenever a vacancy occurs or exists in the office of a full-time district <span class="dictionary">judge</span> while the General Assembly is in session, or whenever the term of a full-time <span class="dictionary">judge</span> of a district <span class="dictionary">court</span> will expire or the office will be vacated at a date certain between the adjournment of the General Assembly and the commencement of the next session of the General Assembly, a successor <span class="dictionary">judge</span> may be elected at any time during a session preceding the date of such vacancy, by the vote of a majority of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly, for a full term of six years and, upon qualification, the successor <span class="dictionary">judge</span> shall enter at once upon the discharge of the duties of his office. However, such successor <span class="dictionary">judge</span> shall not enter upon the discharge of his duties prior to the commencement of his term of office. No person shall be elected or reelected to a subsequent term under this section until he has submitted to a criminal history record search and submitted to a search of the central registry maintained pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA0;<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 reports of such searches have been received by the Chairmen of the House and Senate Committees for <span class="dictionary">Courts</span> of Justice. If the person has not met the requirement of filing in the preceding calendar year a disclosure form prescribed in &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Disclosure form" href="/2.2-3117/">2.2-3117</a> or <a class="law" title="Disclosure form" href="/30-111/">30-111</a>, he shall also provide a written statement of economic interests on the disclosure form prescribed in &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Disclosure form" href="/2.2-3117/">2.2-3117</a> to the Chairmen of the House and Senate Committees for <span class="dictionary">Courts</span> of Justice.</p></section></text><history>1973, c. 546; 1993, c. 368; 2004, c. 452; 2018, c. 578.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
