                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

MAXIMUM NUMBER OF JUDGES; RESIDENCE REQUIREMENT; COMPENSATION; POWERS; ETC (§
17.1-507)

A. For the several judicial circuits there shall be judges, the maximum number
as hereinafter set forth, who shall during their service reside within their
respective circuits and whose compensation and powers shall be the same as now
and hereafter prescribed for circuit judges.
			The maximum number of judges of the circuits shall be as follows:
			First &#x2014; 6
			Second &#x2014; 8
			Third &#x2014; 4
			Fourth &#x2014; 8
			Fifth &#x2014; 4
			Sixth &#x2014; 3
			Seventh &#x2014; 5
			Eighth &#x2014; 3
			Ninth &#x2014; 5
			Tenth &#x2014; 4
			Eleventh &#x2014; 3
			Twelfth &#x2014; 6
			Thirteenth &#x2014; 7
			Fourteenth &#x2014; 5
			Fifteenth &#x2014; 12
			Sixteenth &#x2014; 6
			Seventeenth &#x2014; 4
			Eighteenth &#x2014; 3
			Nineteenth &#x2014; 15
			Twentieth &#x2014; 5
			Twenty-first &#x2014; 3
			Twenty-second &#x2014; 4
			Twenty-third &#x2014; 5
			Twenty-fourth &#x2014; 6
			Twenty-fifth &#x2014; 7
			Twenty-sixth &#x2014; 8
			Twenty-seventh &#x2014; 6
			Twenty-eighth &#x2014; 4
			Twenty-ninth &#x2014; 5
			Thirtieth &#x2014; 4
			Thirty-first &#x2014; 7

B. No additional circuit court judge shall be authorized or provided for any
judicial circuit until the Judicial Council has made a study of the need for
such additional circuit court judge and has reported its findings and
recommendations to the House and Senate Committees for Courts of Justice. The
boundary of any judicial circuit shall not be changed until a study has been
made by the Judicial Council and a report of its findings and recommendations
made to said Committees.

C. If the Judicial Council finds the need for an additional circuit court judge
after a study is made pursuant to subsection B, the study shall be made
available to the Compensation Board and the House and Senate Committees for
Courts of Justice and the Judicial Council shall publish notice of such finding
in a publication of general circulation among attorneys licensed to practice in
the Commonwealth. The Compensation Board shall make a study of the need to
provide additional courtroom security and deputy court clerk staffing. This
study shall be reported to the House Committee for Courts of Justice and the
Senate Committee for Courts of Justice, and to the Department of Planning and
Budget.

HISTORY: 1973, c. 544, § 17-119.1:2; 1974, cc. 42, 43; 1975, c. 40; 1977, c. 4;
1979, c. 6; 1980, c. 29; 1981, c. 27; 1982, c. 57; 1983, c. 2; 1985, c. 43;
1986, cc. 78, 479; 1989, c. 43; 1990, cc. 113, 114; 1991, cc. 20, 419, 623;
1992, c. 92; 1993, cc. 9, 89; 1994, cc. 89, 454; 1995, c. 20; 1996, c. 120;
1997, c. 17; 1998, cc. 3, 872; 1999, cc. 10, 319; 2000, c. 37; 2004, Sp. Sess.
I, c. 4; 2005, cc. 190, 231, 951; 2006, cc. 35, 738; 2006, Sp. Sess. I, c. 2;
2013, c. 806; 2014, cc. 812, 822; 2018, cc. 126, 135; 2022, cc. 579, 580; 2024,
cc. 525, 606.