                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

VACANCIES IN OFFICE OF JUDGE (§ 17.1-509)

Whenever a vacancy occurs in the office of judge, a successor, who shall be a
resident of the same circuit, shall be elected for a full term of eight years
and upon qualification shall enter at once upon the discharge of the duties of
his 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 §
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 §
2.2-3117 or 30-111, he shall also provide a written statement of economic
interests on the disclosure form prescribed in § 2.2-3117 to the Chairmen of
the House and Senate Committees for Courts of Justice. Subject to the provisions
of §§ 17.1-511 and 17.1-512, the Governor shall have the power while the
General Assembly is not in session to fill pro tempore vacancies in such office.
Such appointment to every vacancy shall be by commission to expire at the end of
30 days after the commencement of the next regular session of the General
Assembly. No person with a criminal conviction for a felony shall be appointed
as a judge.

HISTORY: Code 1919, § 5889, § 17-120; 1920, p. 123; 1924, p. 310; 1944, p. 95;
1971, Ex. Sess., c. 27; 1973, c. 544; 1977, c. 197; 1998, c. 872; 2001, c. 256;
2004, c. 452; 2018, c. 578.