Virginia Law

Article 2. Jurors.

All citizens over 18 years of age who have been residents of the Commonwealth one year, and of the county, city, or town in which they reside six months next preceding their being summoned to serve as such, and competent in other respects, except as hereinafter provided, shall be liable to serve as jurors. No person shall be deemed incompetent to serve on any jury because of blindness or partial blindness. Military personnel of the United States Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Space Force, or Navy shall not be considered residents of this Commonwealth by reason of their being stationed herein.

Code 1950, § 8-208.2; 1973, c. 439; 1977, c. 617; 1987, c. 189; 2014, c. 595; 2024, c. 817.

The following persons shall be disqualified from serving as jurors:

1. Persons adjudicated incapacitated;

2. Persons convicted of treason or a felony; or

3. Any other person under a disability as defined in § 8.01-2 and not included in subdivisions 1 or 2 above.

Code 1950, § 8-208.3; 1973, c. 439; 1977, c. 617; 1997, c. 801.

No person shall be eligible to serve on any jury when he, or any person for him, solicits or requests a jury commissioner to place his name in a jury box or in any way designate such person as a juror.

Code 1950, § 8-208.4; 1973, c. 439; 1977, c. 617.

No person shall be admitted to serve as a juror at a term of a court during which he has any matter of controversy which has been or is expected to be tried by a jury during the same term.

Code 1950, § 8-208.5; 1973, c. 439; 1977, c. 617.

The following shall be exempt from serving on juries in civil and criminal cases:

1. The President and Vice President of the United States,

2. The Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General of the Commonwealth,

3. The members of both houses of Congress,

4. The members of the General Assembly, while in session or during a period when the member would be entitled to a legislative continuance as a matter of right under § 30-5,

5. Licensed practicing attorneys,

6. The judge of any court, members of the State Corporation Commission, members of the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission, and magistrates,

7. Sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, state police, and police in counties, cities and towns,

8. The superintendent of the penitentiary and his assistants and the persons composing the guard,

9. Superintendents and jail officers, as defined in § 53.1-1, of regional jails.

Code 1950, § 8-208.6; 1973, c. 439; 1977, cc. 458, 617; 1978, cc. 176, 340; 1980, c. 535; 1982, c. 315; 1987, c. 256; 1990, c. 758; 1993, c. 572; 1998, c. 83.

Any of the following persons may serve on juries in civil and criminal cases but shall be exempt from jury service upon his request:

1. through 3. [Repealed.]

4. A mariner actually employed in maritime service;

5. through 7. [Repealed.]

8. A person who has legal custody of and is necessarily and personally responsible for a child or children 16 years of age or younger requiring continuous care by him during normal court hours, or any mother who is breast-feeding a child;

9. A person who is necessarily and personally responsible for a person having a physical or mental impairment requiring continuous care by him during normal court hours;

10. Any person over 73 years of age;

11. Any person whose spouse is summoned to serve on the same jury panel;

12. Any person who is the only person performing services for a business, commercial or agricultural enterprise and whose services are so essential to the operations of the business, commercial or agricultural enterprise that such enterprise must close or cease to function if such person is required to perform jury duty;

13. Any person who is the only person performing services for a political subdivision as a firefighter, as defined in § 65.2-102, and whose services are so essential to the operations of the political subdivision that such political subdivision will suffer an undue hardship in carrying out such services if such person is required to perform jury duty;

14. Any person employed by the Office of the Clerk of the House of Delegates, the Office of the Clerk of the Senate, the Division of Legislative Services, and the Division of Legislative Automated Systems; however, this exemption shall apply only to jury service starting (i) during the period beginning 60 days prior to the day any regular session commences and ending 30 days after the day of adjournment of such session and (ii) during the period beginning seven days prior to the day any reconvened or special session commences and ending seven days after the day of adjournment of such session;

15. Any general registrar, member of a local electoral board, or person appointed or employed by either the general registrar or the local electoral board, except officers of election appointed pursuant to Article 5 (§ 24.2-115 et seq.) of Chapter 1 of Title 24.2; however, this exemption shall apply only to jury service starting (i) during the period beginning 90 days prior to any election and continuing through election day, (ii) during the period to ascertain the results of the election and continuing for 10 days after the local electoral board certifies the results of the election under § 24.2-671 or the State Board of Elections certifies the results of the election under § 24.2-679, or (iii) during the period of an election recount or contested election pursuant to Chapter 8 (§ 24.2-800 et seq.) of Title 24.2. Any officer of election shall be exempt from jury service only on election day and during the periods set forth in clauses (ii) and (iii); and

16. Any member of the armed services of the United States or the diplomatic service of the United States appointed under the Foreign Service Act (22 U.S.C. § 3901 et seq.) who will be serving outside of the United States at the time of such jury service.

Code 1970, § 8-208.6:1; 1977, c. 458; 1987, c. 256; 1997, c. 693; 1999, c. 153; 2004, c. 106; 2005, c. 195; 2011, cc. 389, 708; 2012, c. 98; 2024, cc. 71, 72.

The court, at the request of a person selected for jury service or on its own motion, may exempt any person from jury service for a particular term of court, or limit that person's service to particular dates of that term, if serving on a jury during that term or certain dates of that term of court would cause such person a particular occupational inconvenience. Any such person who is selected for jury service, and who is exempted under the provisions of this section, shall not be discharged from his obligation to serve on a jury, but such obligation shall only be deferred until the term of court next after such particular occupational inconvenience ends. For purposes of this section, "occupational inconvenience" includes inconvenience to a person (i) who, during the term of court for which such person is selected for jury service, is enrolled as a full-time student at an accredited public or private institution of higher education and who is attending classes at such institution during such term and (ii) who has legal custody of and is necessarily and personally responsible for a child or children 16 years of age or younger requiring continuous care by him during normal court hours. The provisions of this section shall not interfere with the exemption available under subdivision 8 of § 8.01-341.1.

1981, c. 108; 1987, c. 155; 2018, c. 259; 2019, c. 518.

A. The jury commissioners shall not include on the jury list provided for in § 8.01-345 the name of any person who has been called and reported to any state court for jury duty at any time during the period of three years next preceding the date of completion of such jury list.

B. If such person has been called and reported for jury duty in the trial of any case, either civil or criminal, at any one term of a court, he shall not be permitted to serve as a juror in any civil or criminal case, at any other term of that court during the three-year period set forth in subsection A of this section, unless all the persons whose names are in the jury box have been drawn to serve during such three-year period; however, such person shall be permitted to serve on any special jury ordered pursuant to § 8.01-362 and on any grand jury.

Code 1950, §§ 8-208.7, 8-208.10; 1973, c. 439; 1974, c. 369; 1977, cc. 451, 617; 1984, c. 165; 1992, c. 312; 1994, c. 27.