Bill Text: VA HB606 | 2014 | Regular Session | Comm Sub

Virginia House Bill 606 (Prior Session Legislation)

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: Judges; maximum number in circuit, general district, and juvenile courts, etc.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2014-05-23 - Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0812) [HB606 Detail]

Download: Virginia-2014-HB606-Comm_Sub.html

14104717D
HOUSE BILL NO. 606 AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE (Proposed by the House Committee on Appropriations) on February 7, 2014) (Patron Prior to Substitute--Delegate Miller) A BILL to amend and reenact §§16.1-69.6:1 and 17.1-507 of the Code of Virginia, relating to number of judges.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §§16.1-69.6:1 and 17.1-507 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:

§16.1-69.6:1. Number of judges.

For the several judicial districts there shall be full-time general district court judges and juvenile and domestic relations district court judges, the number as hereinafter set forth, who shall during their service reside within their respective districts, except as provided in § 16.1-69.16, and whose compensation and powers shall be the same as now and hereafter prescribed for general district court judges and juvenile and domestic relations district court judges.

The number of judges of the districts shall be as follows:



                                                       Juvenile and Domestic

                            General District Court       Relations District

                                    Judges                  Court Judges

 First                                 43                         3

 Second                                7                         76

 Two-A                                 1                         1

 Third                                 32                        32

 Fourth                                65                        5

 Fifth                                 32                        2

 Sixth                                 4                         2

 Seventh                               43                        43

 Eighth                                3                         3

 Ninth                                 3                         3

 Tenth                                 32                        3

 Eleventh                              23                        2

 Twelfth                               45                        56

 Thirteenth                            86                        54

 Fourteenth                            45                        5

 Fifteenth                             68                        79

 Sixteenth                             4                         46

 Seventeenth                           42                        21

 Eighteenth                            21                        21

 Nineteenth                           1110                       86

 Twentieth                             43                        3

 Twenty-first                          21                        2

 Twenty-second                         2                         34

 Twenty-third                          54                        4

 Twenty-fourth                         43                        56

 Twenty-fifth                          53                        4

 The general district court judges of the twenty-fifth district shall render

 assistance on a regular basis to the general district court judges of the

 twenty-sixth district by appropriate designation.

 Twenty-sixth                          45                        56

 Twenty-seventh                        54                        45

 Twenty-eighth                         2                         2

 Twenty-ninth                          31                        23

 Thirtieth                             21                        2

 Thirty-first                          45                        5

The election or appointment of any district judge shall be subject to the provisions of §16.1-69.9:3.

§17.1-507. Number of judges; residence requirement; compensation; powers; etc.

A. For the several judicial circuits there shall be judges, the 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 number of judges of the circuits shall be as follows:

First - 5 4

Second - 10 8

Third - 5 4

Fourth - 9 8

Fifth - 3

Sixth - 2

Seventh - 56

Eighth - 4 2

Ninth - 4

Tenth - 3 4

Eleventh - 3 2

Twelfth - 5 6

Thirteenth - 87

Fourteenth - 5

Fifteenth - 9 11

Sixteenth - 5

Seventeenth - 4 2

Eighteenth - 34

Nineteenth - 15 14

Twentieth - 4

Twenty-first - 3 2

Twenty-second - 4

Twenty-third - 6 5

Twenty-fourth - 5

Twenty-fifth - 4 5

Twenty-sixth - 57

Twenty-seventh - 57

Twenty-eighth - 3

Twenty-ninth - 4 5

Thirtieth - 3

Thirty-first - 5

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 Courts of Justice Committees of the House of Delegates and Senate. 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 Courts of Justice Committees of the House of Delegates and Senate and 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 Courts of Justice Committees of the House of Delegates and the Senate, and to the Department of Planning and Budget.

2. That the provisions of this act reducing the number of authorized judgeships in the Second Judicial Circuit shall become effective upon the death, resignation, or retirement on or after January 1, 2014, of any judge of that court.

3. That the provisions of this act reducing the number of authorized judgeships in the Eighth Judicial Circuit shall become effective upon the death, resignation, or retirement on or after January 1, 2014, of any judge of that court.

4. That the provisions of this act reducing the number of authorized judgeships in the Twenty-first Judicial Circuit shall become effective upon the death, resignation, or retirement on or after January 1, 2014, of any judge of that court.

5. That the provisions of this act reducing the number of authorized judgeships in the General District Court of the First Judicial District shall become effective upon the death, resignation, or retirement on or after January 1, 2014, of any judge of that court.

6. That the provisions of this act reducing the number of authorized judgeships in the General District Court of the Seventh Judicial District shall become effective upon the death, resignation, or retirement on or after January 1, 2014, of any judge of that court.

7. That the provisions of this act reducing the number of authorized judgeships in the General District Court of the Tenth Judicial District shall become effective upon the death, resignation, or retirement on or after January 1, 2014, of any judge of that court.

8. That the provisions of this act reducing the number of authorized judgeships in the General District Court of the Thirteenth Judicial District shall become effective upon the death, resignation, or retirement on or after January 1, 2014, of any judge of that court; except that the number of authorized judgeships in the General District Court of the Thirteenth Judicial District shall be reduced to seven on the effective date of this act.

9. That the provisions of this act reducing the number of authorized judgeships in the General District Court of the Seventeenth Judicial District shall become effective upon the death, resignation, or retirement on or after January 1, 2014, of any judge of that court.

10. That the provisions of this act reducing the number of authorized judgeships in the General District Court of the Eighteenth Judicial District shall become effective upon the death, resignation, or retirement on or after January 1, 2014, of any judge of that court.

11. That the provisions of this act reducing the number of authorized judgeships in the General District Court of the Twentieth Judicial District shall become effective upon the death, resignation, or retirement on or after January 1, 2014, of any judge of that court.

12. That the provisions of this act reducing the number of authorized judgeships in the General District Court of the Twenty-fifth Judicial District shall become effective upon the death, resignation, or retirement on or after January 1, 2014, of any judge of that court; except that the number of authorized judgeships in the General District Court of the Twenty-fifth Judicial District shall be reduced to four on the effective date of this act.

13. That the provisions of this act reducing the number of authorized judgeships in the General District Court of the Twenty-ninth Judicial District shall become effective upon the death, resignation, or retirement on or after January 1, 2014, of any judge of that court.

14. That the provisions of this act reducing the number of authorized judgeships in the General District Court of the Thirtieth Judicial District shall become effective upon the death, resignation, or retirement on or after January 1, 2014, of any judge of that court.

15. That the provisions of this act reducing the number of authorized judgeships in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court of the Third Judicial District shall become effective upon the death, resignation, or retirement on or after January 1, 2014, of any judge of that court.

16. That the provisions of this act reducing the number of authorized judgeships in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court of the Seventh Judicial District shall become effective upon the death, resignation, or retirement on or after January 1, 2014, of any judge of that court.

17. That the provisions of this act reducing the number of authorized judgeships in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court of the Thirteenth Judicial District shall become effective upon the death, resignation, or retirement on or after January 1, 2014, of any judge of that court.

18. That the provisions of this act reducing the number of authorized judgeships in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court of the Seventeenth Judicial District shall become effective upon the death, resignation, or retirement on or after January 1, 2014, of any judge of that court.

19. That the provisions of this act reducing the number of authorized judgeships in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court of the Eighteenth Judicial District shall become effective upon the death, resignation, or retirement on or after January 1, 2014, of any judge of that court.

20. That the provisions of this act reducing the number of authorized judgeships in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court of the Nineteenth Judicial District shall become effective upon the death, resignation, or retirement on or after January 1, 2014, of any judge of that court.

21. In order to assess more accurately the added weight to be given cases (i) requiring the use of interpreters, and (ii) involving pro se litigants in circuit, general district, and juvenile courts of the Commonwealth, and in order to better evaluate the impact of (i) travel time, and (ii) the use of prosecutors in misdemeanor cases in district courts, the Virginia Supreme Court shall gather empirical data on these issues and make recommendations to the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees and the Chairmen of the House and Senate Committees for Courts of Justice by November 1, 2015.