{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/17.1-518.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/17.1-518.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/17.1-518.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/17.1-518.html"}],"law_id":350168,"edition_id":2,"section_id":350168,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-518","catch_line":"Special terms; when, how and by whom appointed","history":"Code 1919, \u00a7 5894, \u00a7 17-129; 1973, c. 544; 1998, c. 872.","full_text":"If any term of a circuit court is to end, or has ended, without the dispatch of all its business or if there be a failure to hold any term or it is expedient in the opinion of the judge of the court to hold a special term for the trial of any cause pending in such court or of issues made up in any cause by consent of parties, or if the situation of a person confined in jail for trial in such circuit court makes it proper that his case should be disposed of before the next regular term thereof, or necessity in the judge’s opinion requires it, the judge of such circuit court or, if he is dead or is unable from any cause to hold his court, the judge of any other circuit court who has been designated to hold such terms, may, by order entered in such court or by a warrant directed to the clerk, appoint a special term thereof and prescribe in such order or warrant whether any venire is to be summoned to attend the term. The clerk shall inform the attorney for the Commonwealth and the sheriff of such appointment, post a copy of the warrant or order at the front door of the courthouse and issue all proper process to such special term and the sheriff shall execute the process.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1305008,"text":"If any term of a circuit court is to end, or has ended, without the dispatch of all its business or if there be a failure to hold any term or it is expedient in the opinion of the judge of the court to hold a special term for the trial of any cause pending in such court or of issues made up in any cause by consent of parties, or if the situation of a person confined in jail for trial in such circuit court makes it proper that his case should be disposed of before the next regular term thereof, or necessity in the judge’s opinion requires it, the judge of such circuit court or, if he is dead or is unable from any cause to hold his court, the judge of any other circuit court who has been designated to hold such terms, may, by order entered in such court or by a warrant directed to the clerk, appoint a special term thereof and prescribe in such order or warrant whether any venire is to be summoned to attend the term. The clerk shall inform the attorney for the Commonwealth and the sheriff of such appointment, post a copy of the warrant or order at the front door of the courthouse and issue all proper process to such special term and the sheriff shall execute the process.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":50124,"edition_id":2,"name":"Establishment; Jurisdiction; Etc","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":50123,"metadata":{"child_laws":36,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:22:41","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:13","permalink":{"id":1390699,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50124,"identifier":"1","token":"17.1\/5\/1","url":"\/17.1\/5\/1\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":50123,"edition_id":2,"name":"Circuit Courts","identifier":"5","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":5,"parent_id":50105,"metadata":{"child_laws":36,"child_structures":1},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:22:41","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:13","permalink":{"id":1390697,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50123,"identifier":"5","token":"17.1\/5","url":"\/17.1\/5\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":50105,"edition_id":2,"name":"Courts of Record","identifier":"17.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":50,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":322,"child_structures":25},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:22:16","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:09","permalink":{"id":1389801,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50105,"identifier":"17.1","token":"17.1","url":"\/17.1\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":350140,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-500","catch_line":"Establishment of circuit courts","url":"\/17.1-500\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-500","metadata":false},{"id":350141,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-501","catch_line":"Judges of circuit courts; 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how fixed","url":"\/17.1-517\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-517","metadata":false},{"id":350168,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-518","catch_line":"Special terms; when, how and by whom appointed","url":"\/17.1-518\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-518","metadata":false},{"id":350169,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-519","catch_line":"Adjournment thereof to a future day","url":"\/17.1-519\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-519","metadata":false},{"id":350170,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-520","catch_line":"What tried at a special term","url":"\/17.1-520\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-520","metadata":false},{"id":350171,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-521","catch_line":"Who to hold special term; powers","url":"\/17.1-521\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-521","metadata":false},{"id":350172,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-522","catch_line":"Adjournment of special term","url":"\/17.1-522\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-522","metadata":false},{"id":350173,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-523","catch_line":"Salaries of judges of circuit courts","url":"\/17.1-523\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-523","metadata":false},{"id":350174,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-524","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/17.1-524\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-524","metadata":false},{"id":350175,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-525","catch_line":"Certain information to be made available to certain defendants found not guilty","url":"\/17.1-525\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-525","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":350167,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-517","catch_line":"Number of terms; how fixed","url":"\/17.1-517\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-517","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":350169,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-519","catch_line":"Adjournment thereof to a future day","url":"\/17.1-519\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-519","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/17.1-518\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 2 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1973, chapter 544; in 1998, chapter 872<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":350169,"section_number":"17.1-519","catch_line":"Adjournment thereof to a future day","order_by":null,"url":"\/17.1-519\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":1390813,"object_type":"law","relational_id":350168,"identifier":"17.1-518","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-518","url":"\/17.1-518\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/17.1-518\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-518","dublin_core":{"Title":"Special terms; when, how and by whom appointed","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 17.1-518","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

If any term of a circuit<\/span> court<\/span> is to end, or has ended, without the dispatch of all its business or if there be a failure to hold any term or it is expedient in the opinion<\/span> of the judge<\/span> of the court<\/span> to hold a special term for the trial<\/span> of any cause pending in such court<\/span> or of issues<\/span> made up in any cause by consent of parties, or if the situation of a person confined in jail for trial<\/span> in such circuit<\/span> court<\/span> makes it proper that his case should be disposed of before the next regular term thereof, or necessity in the judge<\/span>’s opinion<\/span> requires it, the judge<\/span> of such circuit<\/span> court<\/span> or, if he is dead or is unable from any cause to hold his court<\/span>, the judge<\/span> of any other circuit<\/span> court<\/span> who has been designated to hold such terms, may, by order<\/span> entered in such court<\/span> or by a warrant directed to the clerk, appoint a special term thereof and prescribe in such order<\/span> or warrant whether any venire<\/span> is to be summoned to attend the term. The clerk shall inform the attorney for the Commonwealth and the sheriff of such appointment, post a copy of the warrant or order<\/span> at the front door of the courthouse and issue<\/span> all proper process to such special term and the sheriff shall execute the process.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nSPECIAL TERMS; WHEN, HOW AND BY WHOM APPOINTED (\u00a7 17.1-518)\n\nIf any term of a circuit court is to end, or has ended, without the dispatch of\nall its business or if there be a failure to hold any term or it is expedient in\nthe opinion of the judge of the court to hold a special term for the trial of\nany cause pending in such court or of issues made up in any cause by consent of\nparties, or if the situation of a person confined in jail for trial in such\ncircuit court makes it proper that his case should be disposed of before the\nnext regular term thereof, or necessity in the judge’s opinion requires\nit, the judge of such circuit court or, if he is dead or is unable from any\ncause to hold his court, the judge of any other circuit court who has been\ndesignated to hold such terms, may, by order entered in such court or by a\nwarrant directed to the clerk, appoint a special term thereof and prescribe in\nsuch order or warrant whether any venire is to be summoned to attend the term.\nThe clerk shall inform the attorney for the Commonwealth and the sheriff of such\nappointment, post a copy of the warrant or order at the front door of the\ncourthouse and issue all proper process to such special term and the sheriff\nshall execute the process.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1919, \u00a7 5894, \u00a7 17-129; 1973, c. 544; 1998, c. 872.","edition":{"id":2,"name":"2026","slug":"2026","date_created":"2026-07-16 18:40:23","date_modified":"2026-08-02 15:14:36","current":1,"order_by":2,"last_import":"2026-08-02 12:37:30"}}