                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

JUDGES IN OFFICE CONTINUED; TERMS OF JUDGES; HOW ELECTED OR APPOINTED (§
16.1-69.9)

Every judge or justice and every associate, assistant and substitute judge or
justice of a court not of record in office January 1, 1973, shall continue in
office as a judge or substitute judge of such court under its designation as a
general district court or juvenile and domestic relations district court until
the expiration of the term for which he was appointed or elected, or until a
vacancy shall occur in his office or until a successor shall be appointed or
elected, whichever is the latter.
		Upon the expiration of such terms, or when a vacancy occurs, successors shall
be elected only as authorized pursuant to §§ 16.1-69.10 and 16.1-69.14 and for
the term and in the manner following:

1. With respect to terms expiring on or after July 1, 1980, successors to judges
shall be elected for a term of six years by the General Assembly as provided in
subdivision 2.
			Any vacancy in the office of any full-time district court judge shall be
filled for a full term of six years in the manner prescribed herein; provided
that such vacancy shall not be filled except as provided in &#xA7; 16.1-69.9:3.

2. Full-time district court judges shall be elected by the majority of the
members elected to each house of the General Assembly. 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; 63.2-1515 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 Courts of
Justice. If the person has not met the requirement of filing in the preceding
calendar year a disclosure form prescribed in &#xA7; 2.2-3117 or 30-111, he
shall also provide a written statement of economic interests on the disclosure
form prescribed in &#xA7; 2.2-3117 to the Chairmen of the House and Senate
Committees for Courts of Justice. The judges of the circuit court having
jurisdiction over the district may nominate a panel of no more than three
persons for each judgeship within the district who are deemed qualified to hold
the office. The General Assembly may consider such nominations in electing a
judge to fill the office but may elect a person not on such panel to fill the
office. Nominations shall be forwarded to the clerks of both houses of the
General Assembly on or before December 15.

3. No person with a criminal conviction for a felony shall be appointed as a
substitute judge.
			If an appointment is to be made by two or more judges and there is a tie
vote, then the senior judge of the circuit court having jurisdiction in the
district shall make the appointment.

HISTORY: 1972, c. 708; 1973, c. 546; 1975, c. 5; 1976, c. 374; 1977, c. 536;
1980, c. 194; 2004, c. 452; 2018, c. 578.