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type, title, description, jurisdiction, legislature, session, identifier, citation, classification, subjects, status, primary_sponsors, version_count, action_count, vote_count, first_action, last_action, source, source_identifier, source_url, source_hash, vintage, source_snapshot, retrieved_at, confidence, tags
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| Bill | Judicial district and circuit courts; maximum number of judges. | Maximum number of judges in each judicial district and circuit; maximum number of judges on the Court of Appeals of Virginia; hearing en banc; study to examine organization and boundaries of certain judicial circuits; report. Increases from 17 to 21 the maximum number of authorized judges on the Court of Appeals of Virginia. The bill removes provisions that require the Court of Appeals to sit en banc in certain instances, making the decision of whether to sit en banc entirely discretionary. The bill requires the Court of Appeals to sit en banc with no fewer than 13 judges, three of whom shall be the three judges to whom the case was originally assigned and the remaining 10 of whom shall be assigned pursuant to a randomized rotational schedule in accordance with the Rules of the Supreme Court of Virginia. Under the bill, such provisions relating to the Court of Appeals shall become effective on September 1, 2026.The bill also increases by one the maximum number of authorized general district court judges in the Twelfth and Twenty-sixth Judicial Districts. The bill also increases by one the maximum number of authorized juvenile and domestic relations district court judges in the Twelfth and Fifteenth Judicial Districts. The bill further increases by one the maximum number of authorized circuit court judges in the Twentieth and Twenty-seventh Judicial Circuits. Under the bill, the provisions relating to increasing the number of judges in the Fifteenth and Twentieth Judicial Circuits shall become effective on July 1, 2027.Finally, the bill directs the Judicial Council of Virginia to study the organization and boundaries of the Fifteenth and Twentieth Judicial Circuits and to submit an executive summary and a report of its findings and any recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly no later than November 30, 2026.As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Committee on District Courts and the Judicial Council of Virginia. This bill incorporates HB 46 and HB 194. | us/states/va | Virginia General Assembly | 2026 | HB 443 | Virginia HB 443 (2026) |
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enacted |
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8 | 49 | 11 | 2026-01-12 | 2026-04-13 | openstates | ocd-bill/e3b4cb81-8c9d-4f5b-a2c7-264b3b41ca06 | https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB443 | 2f5c8a3289a2065a3a7135205990bfc53bccec7e42a46880bf5cf72a877b772d | 2026-07-01 | https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump | 2026-07-06 | reported |
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Virginia HB 443 (2026) — Judicial district and circuit courts; maximum number of judges.
Maximum number of judges in each judicial district and circuit; maximum number of judges on the Court of Appeals of Virginia; hearing en banc; study to examine organization and boundaries of certain judicial circuits; report. Increases from 17 to 21 the maximum number of authorized judges on the Court of Appeals of Virginia. The bill removes provisions that require the Court of Appeals to sit en banc in certain instances, making the decision of whether to sit en banc entirely discretionary. The bill requires the Court of Appeals to sit en banc with no fewer than 13 judges, three of whom shall be the three judges to whom the case was originally assigned and the remaining 10 of whom shall be assigned pursuant to a randomized rotational schedule in accordance with the Rules of the Supreme Court of Virginia. Under the bill, such provisions relating to the Court of Appeals shall become effective on September 1, 2026.The bill also increases by one the maximum number of authorized general district court judges in the Twelfth and Twenty-sixth Judicial Districts. The bill also increases by one the maximum number of authorized juvenile and domestic relations district court judges in the Twelfth and Fifteenth Judicial Districts. The bill further increases by one the maximum number of authorized circuit court judges in the Twentieth and Twenty-seventh Judicial Circuits. Under the bill, the provisions relating to increasing the number of judges in the Fifteenth and Twentieth Judicial Circuits shall become effective on July 1, 2027.Finally, the bill directs the Judicial Council of Virginia to study the organization and boundaries of the Fifteenth and Twentieth Judicial Circuits and to submit an executive summary and a report of its findings and any recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly no later than November 30, 2026.As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Committee on District Courts and the Judicial Council of Virginia. This bill incorporates HB 46 and HB 194.
Version chain
The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.
- Introduced (filed) — source
- Chaptered (committee substitute) — source
- Conference Report (committee substitute) — source
- Conference Report Substitute (committee substitute) — source
- Courts of Justice Substitute (committee substitute) — source
- Criminal Subcommittee Substitute (committee substitute) — source
- Finance and Appropriations Substitute (committee substitute) — source
- Enrolled (enrolled) — source
Votes
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute — 10–0 (pass) · lower
- Passage R — 40–0 (pass) · upper
- Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute — 22–0 (pass) · lower
- H VOTE: — 1–96 (fail) · lower
- H VOTE: — 98–0 (pass) · lower
- Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute — 15–0 (pass) · upper
- Reported from Courts of Justice — 13–0 (pass) · upper
- H VOTE: — 91–5 (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) — 40–0 (pass) · upper
- Insist & Request R — 40–0 (pass) · upper
- Adopt Conference Committee Report R — 22–17 (pass) · upper
Sponsors
- Patrick A. Hope — primary (person)
Timeline
The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.
- 2026-01-12 Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102580D
filing, introduction - 2026-01-12 Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
referral-committee - 2026-01-30 Assigned HCJ sub: Criminal
referral-committee - 2026-02-02 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB443)
- 2026-02-02 Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute and referring to Appropriations (10-Y 0-N)
substitution - 2026-02-04 Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (22-Y 0-N)
committee-passage - 2026-02-04 Committee substitute printed 26106991D-H1
substitution - 2026-02-04 Incorporates HB46 (Reid)
- 2026-02-04 Incorporates HB194 (McQuinn)
- 2026-02-06 Read first time
reading-1 - 2026-02-09 Read second time
reading-2 - 2026-02-09 committee substitute agreed to
substitution - 2026-02-09 Engrossed by House - committee substitute
substitution - 2026-02-10 Read third time and passed House (98-Y 0-N 0-A)
passage, reading-3 - 2026-02-11 Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
- 2026-02-11 Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
referral-committee - 2026-02-18 Reported from Courts of Justice and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (13-Y 0-N)
committee-passage - 2026-02-19 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB443)
- 2026-03-03 Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (15-Y 0-N)
committee-passage - 2026-03-03 Rules suspended
- 2026-03-03 Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
- 2026-03-03 Passed by for the day (Voice Vote)
- 2026-03-04 Committee substitute printed 26109166D-S1
substitution - 2026-03-04 Read third time
reading-3 - 2026-03-04 Finance and Appropriations Substitute agreed to
- 2026-03-04 Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute
substitution - 2026-03-04 Passed Senate with substitute Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
passage - 2026-03-06 Senate substitute rejected by House (1-Y 96-N 0-A)
- 2026-03-10 Senate insisted on substitute (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
substitution - 2026-03-10 Senate requested conference committee
referral-committee - 2026-03-11 Conferees appointed by Senate
- 2026-03-11 Senate Conferees: Perry, Deeds, Stuart
- 2026-03-11 House acceded to request
- 2026-03-11 Conferees appointed by House
- 2026-03-11 House Conferees: Hope, Maldonado, Ballard
- 2026-03-14 Conference Report released
- 2026-03-14 Conference Report released
- 2026-03-14 Conference report agreed to by House (91-Y 5-N 0-A)
committee-passage-favorable - 2026-03-14 Conference report agreed to by Senate (22-Y 17-N 0-A)
committee-passage-favorable - 2026-03-25 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB443)
- 2026-03-30 Enrolled
enrolled - 2026-03-30 Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB443ER)
passage - 2026-03-30 Signed by President
passage - 2026-03-31 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB443)
- 2026-03-31 Signed by Speaker
passage - 2026-03-31 Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026
enrolled, executive-receipt - 2026-03-31 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
executive-receipt - 2026-04-13 Approved by Governor-Chapter 615 (effective 7/1/2026)
executive-signature - 2026-04-13 Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0615)
Source
OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/e3b4cb81-8c9d-4f5b-a2c7-264b3b41ca06. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).