Virginia Circuit Court Information

The judicial system in Virginia is the oldest in the United States. The system has four tiers, consisting of the Supreme Court at the apex, the Court of Appeals, the circuit courts, and the district courts.

The Virginia circuit courts are the highest courts of trial possessing powers of general jurisdiction. There are 120 courts spread across 31 judicial circuits. The circuit courts can preside over both civil and criminal cases.

Authority of the Virginia Circuit Courts

In case of civil actions, Virginia circuit courts share jurisdiction rights with general district courts regarding monetary claims that are valued at more than $4,500 but less than $15,000, and possess exclusive rights of jurisdiction over monetary claims that are more than $15,000. The courts are also empowered to preside over cases to decide the legality of a county or a municipal ordinance or a corporate bylaw; attachments; divorce proceedings; adoption cases; wills, trusts, and estate affairs; and property conflicts.

Virginia circuit courts preside over all cases of felonies and offenses that carry jail sentences of more than a year; appeals of misdemeanors that have originated from the district court or through a grand jury indictment; and transfer or certification of felony charges on juveniles.

The Virginia circuit court will also hear de novo appeals that have originated from the district court or the juvenile and domestic relations district court, and also from various administrative bodies. The circuit courts, however, do not possess the rights to preside over rate cases or workers’ compensation cases. These are heard by the State Corporation Commission and the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission, respectively.

Appeals from the Virginia Circuit Court

Appeals related to domestic relations and some administrative affairs originating from the Virginia circuit courts are heard by the Court of Appeals of Virginia. Appeals related to general civil judgments are heard by the Virginia Supreme Court. Criminal case appeals are presided over by the Court of Appeals, but cases involving death penalties must be appealed directly to the Supreme Court.

Judges and Jury of Virginia Circuit Courts

A Virginia circuit court has at least one judge. There may be more, but trials take place before a single judge. The legislative body of the state appoints the judges, who serve for eight years, after which they may be re-appointed. A judge has to be a member of the Virginia State Bar for at least five years before being considered for a position as a circuit court judge.

The jury generally contains five people when the monetary claim is $15,000 or less and seven if the claim amount is more than $15,000. In select cases, the contending parties may choose to have a three-member jury. In such instances, each party selects one juror and the two jurors then choose the third member.

Virginia Circuit Court Case and Records Information

Cases tried and heard at the Virginia circuit courts are documented electronically and may be accessed online and free of cost at http://wasdmz2.courts.state.va.us/CJISWeb/http://www.peoplepublicrecords.org/circuit.html. You may search for cases by keying in the case name or number, or the date of hearing. This extensive Case Management System currently contains only a limited number of case records from a few circuit courts.

Records that have been legalized at the Virginia circuit courts like deeds, judgments, marriage licenses, and wills are stored in the web-based Records Management System. The Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia (OES) allows limited public access to these records. You can obtain permission to view these records from the many county court clerks in the state. The records are found at http://www.courts.state.va.us/rmsweb/.

The addresses of the various circuit court venues, the names of the judges, and contact numbers of the clerks are found at http://www.courts.state.va.us/directories/circ.pdf. This site also contains information on the terms of the courts and the operational hours.