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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>82522</law_id><section_number>19.2-271</section_number><catch_line>Certain judicial officers incompetent to testify under certain circumstances; exceptions (Supreme Court Rule 2:605 derived from this section)</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>8.01-407</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="19.2">Criminal Procedure</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="16">Evidence and Witnesses</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="1">In General</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>No <span class="dictionary">judge</span> shall be competent to testify in any criminal or civil proceeding as to any matter which came before him in the course of his official duties.
		Except as otherwise provided in this section, no clerk of any <span class="dictionary">court</span>, <span class="dictionary">magistrate</span>, or other person having the power to <span class="dictionary">issue</span> warrants, shall be competent to testify in any criminal or civil proceeding as to any matter which came before him in the course of his official duties. Such person shall be competent to testify in any criminal proceeding wherein the <span class="dictionary">defendant</span> is charged with <span class="dictionary">perjury</span> or pursuant to the provisions of &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Obstructing justice; resisting arrest; fleeing from a law-enforcement officer; penalties" href="/18.2-460/">18.2-460</a> or in any proceeding authorized pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Acceptance of checks and credit or debit cards in lieu of money; additional fee" href="/19.2-353.3/">19.2-353.3</a>. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, any <span class="dictionary">judge</span>, clerk of any <span class="dictionary">court</span>, <span class="dictionary">magistrate</span>, or other person having the power to <span class="dictionary">issue</span> warrants, who is the victim of a <span class="dictionary">crime</span>, shall not be incompetent solely because of his office to testify in any criminal or civil proceeding arising out of the <span class="dictionary">crime</span>.</p></section></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7;&#xA7; 19.1-267, 19.1-268; 1960, c. 366; 1975, c. 495; 1976, c. 269; 1989, c. 738; 1990, c. 602; 2015, c. 635.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
