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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>79103</law_id><section_number>19.2-254</section_number><catch_line>Arraignment; pleas; when court may refuse to accept plea; rejection of plea agreement; recusal</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="19.2">Criminal Procedure</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="15">Trial and Its Incidents</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="3">Arraignment; Pleas; Trial Without Jury</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p><span class="dictionary">Arraignment</span> shall be conducted in open <span class="dictionary">court</span>. It shall consist of reading to the <span class="dictionary">accused</span> the charge on which he will be tried and calling on him to plead thereto. In a <span class="dictionary">felony</span> case, <span class="dictionary">arraignment</span> is not necessary when waived by the <span class="dictionary">accused</span>. In a <span class="dictionary">misdemeanor</span> case, <span class="dictionary">arraignment</span> is not necessary when waived by the <span class="dictionary">accused</span> or his <span class="dictionary">counsel</span>, or when the <span class="dictionary">accused</span> fails to appear.
		An <span class="dictionary">accused</span> may plead not guilty, guilty or <span class="dictionary">nolo contendere</span>. The <span class="dictionary">court</span> may refuse to accept a <span class="dictionary">plea</span> of guilty to any lesser <span class="dictionary">offense</span> included in the charge upon which the <span class="dictionary">accused</span> is arraigned; but, in <span class="dictionary">misdemeanor</span> and <span class="dictionary">felony</span> cases the <span class="dictionary">court</span> shall not refuse to accept a <span class="dictionary">plea</span> of <span class="dictionary">nolo contendere</span>.
		With the approval of the <span class="dictionary">court</span> and the consent of the Commonwealth, a <span class="dictionary">defendant</span> may enter a conditional <span class="dictionary">plea</span> of guilty in a <span class="dictionary">misdemeanor</span> or <span class="dictionary">felony</span> case in <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> <span class="dictionary">court</span>, reserving the right, on <span class="dictionary">appeal</span> from the <span class="dictionary">judgment</span>, to a review of the adverse determination of any specified pretrial <span class="dictionary">motion</span>. If the <span class="dictionary">defendant</span> prevails on <span class="dictionary">appeal</span>, he shall be allowed to withdraw his <span class="dictionary">plea</span>.
		Upon rejecting a <span class="dictionary">plea</span> agreement in any criminal matter, a <span class="dictionary">judge</span> shall immediately <span class="dictionary">recuse</span> himself from any further proceedings on the same matter unless the parties agree otherwise.</p></section></text><history>1975, c. 495; 1987, c. 357; 2014, cc. 52, 165.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
