Court of Appeals of Virginia

A 1971 Virginia Court System Study Commission stated the need for a unified court system to handle appeals.Report of the Court System Study Commission to The Governor and The General Assembly of Virginia, Virginia House Document No. 6 (1972 Regular Session) (1971) The Court of Appeals of Virginia was established on January 1, 1985, as an intermediate court of limited appellate jurisdiction, initially with ten judges, with an eleventh judge added in 2000.

In March 2021, legislation was passed to expand the jurisdiction and composition of the Court from 11 judges to 17 judges, coming into effect July 1, 2021.{{Cite web |title=SB 1261 Court of Appeals; expands jurisdiction, increases from 11 to 17 number of judges on Court |url=https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=212&typ=bil&val=sb1261 |access-date=2021-06-04 |website=lis.virginia.gov}}

The Court of Appeals consists of 17 judges who are elected for eight-year terms by a majority of the members of each house of the General Assembly.{{Cite web |title=The Court of Appeals of Virginia |url=https://www.vacourts.gov/courts/cav/about.pdf |access-date=9 April 2024 |website=Virginia's Judicial System / About}} The Court of Appeals may designate seven retired judges of the Court to serve as senior judges.

As part of a comprehensive reform bill passed by the Virginia General Assembly and signed into law in March 2021, the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeals expanded on January 1, 2022, as follows:

• Litigants can now appeal as of right a lower court's decision in civil cases, and the Supreme Court of Virginia will retain the power to select which appeals it hears.
• Criminal defendants can now appeal as of right a lower court's decision in criminal cases, but the Commonwealth will still need to petition the Court of Appeals if it wishes to appeal a decision in a criminal case.
• The Court of Appeals now has jurisdiction to hear interlocutory appeals and petitions for review of injunctions.{{Cite web|title=LIS > Bill Tracking > SB1261 > 2021 session|url=https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+sum+SB1261|access-date=2021-06-14|website=lis.virginia.gov}}

An appeal filed with the Supreme Court of Virginia before January 1, 2022, remains under its jurisdiction.

Since January 1, 2022, when the court's jurisdiction expanded, most appeals are initiated by filing a timely notice of appeal in the tribunal whose order is being appealed and a copy with the clerk of the Court of Appeals.

Decisions are issued by the Court of Appeals by written opinion or order.{{cite web |title=The Court of Appeals of Virginia (informational pamphlet) |url=http://www.courts.state.va.us/courts/cav/cavinfo.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602172332/http://www.courts.state.va.us/courts/cav/cavinfo.pdf |archive-date=2 June 2013 |access-date=27 March 2013 |publisher=Virginia's Judicial System}}

As of January 1, 2025:

{{reflist}}

• [https://scvahistory.org/a-short-history-of-the-court-of-appeals-of-virginia/ A Short History of the Court of Appeals of Virginia]
• [https://www.courts.state.va.us/courts/cav/home.html The Court of Appeals of Virginia Website].
• [https://www.vacourts.gov/courts/cav/cav_faqs.pdf Frequently Asked Questions About the Court of Appeals of Virginia]
• [https://www.vacourts.gov/wpcap.htm Published Court of Appeals of Virginia Opinions (since 5/2/1995)].
• [https://www.vacourts.gov/wpcau.htm Unpublished Court of Appeals of Virginia Opinions (since 3/5/2022)].
• [https://www.vacourts.gov/search/textopinions.html Search Court of Appeals of Virginia Opinions].
• [https://www.courts.state.va.us/courts/cav/oral_arguments/home.html Recordings of Court of Appeals of Virginia Oral Arguments (since 5/20/2014)].
• [https://eapps.courts.state.va.us/cav-public Search Court of Appeals of Virginia Case Status Information].

{{State Intermediate Appellate Courts}}

Virginia

Category:Virginia state courts

Category:1985 establishments in Virginia

Category:Courts and tribunals established in 1985