Virginia Beach Bar Association

Virginia Beach Bar Association

Court Orders & Updates

VB GDC Rules and Policies
Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office Announcement
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
Supreme Court of Virginia
Court of Appeals of Virginia
Virginia Beach Circuit Court
Virginia Beach General District Court
Virginia Beach Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court
Chesapeake Circuit Court
Hampton General District Court
Norfolk Circuit Court
Norfolk General District Court
Portsmouth Circuit Court

Click on the Organization or Court Listed Below for Updates

 

 

 

  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
    • Order June 8, 2021
    • 5/15/20: Please visit the Courts website to view General Orders 2020-14 and 2020-15.
      • 1) In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to supplement steps previously taken by this Court to reduce the possibility of exposure to COVID-19 and to slow the spread of the disease, the Court finds it necessary and appropriate to adopt a face covering and social distancing policy for all Courthouse employees, contractors, and visitors. Please see General Order 2020-14 In re: FACE COVERINGS AND SOCIAL DISTANCING IN COURTHOUSES ACROSS THE DISTRICT
      • 2) In response to recent developments, to include the Courts increased capabilities to conduct remote proceedings and thereby reduce the risk that all Courthouses in the District would be rendered unusable at the same time, the Court has determined that it is no longer necessary for the U.S. Courthouse in Newport News to serve as the Emergency Judicial Center for the District, as was previously directed by General Order No. 2020-10. As such, beginning on May 26, 2020, the U.S. Courthouse in Newport News will be reopened to the public and to all employees, subject to the same restrictions on proceedings and visitors as all other Courthouses in the District. Please see General Order 2020-15 In re: CESSATION OF THE U.S. COURTHOUSE IN NEWPORT NEWS AS THE DISTRICTS EMERGENCY JUDICIAL CENTER
    • Fernando Galindo Clerk of Court
    • 4/13/20: All civil and criminal in-person proceedings in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, including court appearances, trials, hearings, and settlement conferences, scheduled to occur through June 10, 2020, with the exception of critical or emergency proceedings, are POSTPONED, subject to the conditions set forth in this General Order. The instant General Order does not postpone any remote proceedings scheduled by a presiding judge in any civil or criminal case.
    • Please visit the Courts website to view General Order 2020-12, In re: UPDATES TO THE MODIFICATIONS OF COURT OPERATIONS AND EXTENSION OF THE POSTPONEMENT OF IN-PERSON PROCEEDINGS
    • Click below for General Order No 2020-9 entered by Chief Judge Davis. The General Order outlines procedures to utilize video conferencing, or teleconferencing, if video conferencing is not reasonably available.
    • Download PDF

 

 

 

 

  • Virginia Beach General District Court
    • 6/22/22: The Honorable Sal Iaquinto has been selected by the Judges of the Virginia Beach General District Court to be the new chief judge of the beginning on July 1, 2022.
    • 6/2/21: General District Court Mask Order
    • 5/27/21: Notice to landlords regarding landlord\tenant related cases
    • 12/2/20: See the below notice regarding changes to unlawful detainer provisions.
    • Order July 20, 2020
    • 6/26/20: Click below for the Continued operations order entered June 26, 2020.
    • 6/18/20: Notice of Docket Times
    • 6/11/20: NOTICE OF NEW DOCKET TIMES FOR CITY OF VIRGINIA BEACH GENERAL DISTRICT COURT
    • 6/3/20: Due to staffing needs in the Virginia Beach Jail, beginning on June 8 and through June 30, 2020, arraignments will move from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Traffic Courtroom D.
    • 6/1/20: Order June 1, 2020
    • 5/21/20: The Court’s order entered May 14, 2020, regarding the court’s operations through June 5, 2020, is hereby amended as follows:
    • All attorneys appearing in the courtrooms of the Virginia Beach General District Court shall wear face coverings or masks over their nose and mouth except when that may inhibit the ability to communicate with the court or as otherwise directed by a judge. All other persons entering the courtrooms of the Virginia Beach General District Court are strongly encouraged to wear such masks or coverings.
    • 5/21/20: Use of General District Court Fax machines – From: Chief Judge Lahne
    • The Virginia Beach General District Court is being inundated with duplicative documents being filed via fax and mail. This is causing an overload of work for our clerks. Therefore, effective July 1, 2020, the General District Court fax machines should only be used for sending requests for continuances and other emergency filings. Routine correspondence, pleadings and other documents are to be mailed or hand delivered. Any faxed materials that are received that do not comply with this directive will not be accepted for filing.
    • 5/15/20: Click below for the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office Letter regarding cases in Virginia Beach General District Court
    • 5/14/20: Operations order for May 18 through June 5, 2020.
    • 5/12/20: Operations order for May 18 through June 5, 2020
    • 5/4/20: From Chief Judge Lahne:
      • [BASED ON THERE HAVING BEEN SOME CONFUSION, THE COURT WANTED TO REAFFIRM ITS POSITION ON THIS ISSUE]:
      • The court will take up motions for a “speedy trial” and entry of guilty pleas at 8:00 and 9:00 a.m., and at 2:00 p.m., in Traffic D. The parties must file a written motion to have the matter put on the docket and this must be done with sufficient notice to enable the jail to make the defendant available. As is always the case, whether the judge will accept the plea and sentence in accordance with any recommendation will be up to the judge sitting that day.
      • Further, depending on the status of the victim and nature of the crimes charged, the court may decline to accept the plea. In that regard, I am thinking of property crimes in which restitution may be at issue and crimes of violence in which the effect on the victim has to be considered. If counsel has been able to make contact with the victim or charging officer it may be possible to go forward based upon representations from counsel. For example, in shoplifting cases it is often the case that victim is satisfied with time served and restitution. In trespass cases, often time served and a ban from the property is all that is desired…..[T]he phrase “speedy trial” [is being used] as a shorthand to mean a motion to advance a matter on the docket… and accept a guilty plea for those in custody.
      • By way of further amplification, we will also accept such motions to reduce felonies to misdemeanors for defendants in custody.
    • 4/24/20: The Supreme Court of Virginia has recently clarified to the lower courts that during the judicial emergency the courts should not accept new garnishment filings regardless of the return date. Therefore, the Virginia Beach General District Court will no longer accept these filings during the judicial emergency and any such filings that have been received and not already processed will be returned to the creditor. Hon. Daniel R. Lahne, Chief Judge
    • 4/22/20: In light of the Supreme Court’s order issued today extending the judicial emergency through May 17, 2020, the below order has been issued relating to the General District Court’s operations through that date.
    • 4/17/20: From: Chief Judge Lahne, Virginia Beach General District Court
    • All attorney issued subpoenas must include the Court’s docket number(s). Further, any requests by attorneys to have the clerk issue a subpoena must also include the docket number(s).
    • 4/13/20: Continuance dates for criminal matters, including DUIs
    • Given the current COVID-19 crisis, the likelihood that the current judicial emergency will extend into mid-May at the earliest, the Governor’s state of emergency order which runs to June 10th, and the docketing demands on the Court, the Judges of the Virginia Beach General District Court have directed the Commonwealth’s Attorney to coordinate continuance dates with defendants such that the new dates will occur in the second half of June, 2020, or later. The Court has been proactively reviewing the bond status of misdemeanor defendants to determine which defendants might be eligible for bond modifications that would allow a release from custody pending trial. The Court will also entertain, on a case by case basis, motions for a speedy trial if the defendant desires to plead guilty to charges which are holding them in custody. The Court also encourages defendants who are pending a preliminary hearing on felony charges to work with the Commonwealth Attorney’s office to determine if a bond modification might be appropriate to allow the defendant to be released from custody pending further proceedings. Hon. Daniel R. Lahne, Chief Judge
    • 4/9/20: Until the current judicial emergency has ended, bond hearings will be limited to 10 on the 8:00 a.m. felony docket and 10 on the 9:00 a.m. misdemeanor docket. Once those limitations are met, further requests for bond hearings will be scheduled for the next court day. Hon. Daniel R. Lahne, Chief Judge
    • 4/6/20: From this point forward motions for bond hearings must be received by 2:30 p.m. in order for them to be heard the next morning. If they are not received by that time, they will be put on the docket for the day after next. Thank you. Hon. Daniel R. Lahne, Chief Judge
    • 3/31/20: Below is the Court’s order for the continued operation of the court during the current judicial emergency. The Court requests that creditors file a copy of the abstract of judgment, if available, with the filing of a suggestion for garnishment summons. This will allow our clerks to more quickly process garnishments.
    • 3/24/20 Amended Closure Order: The Court’s Closure Order has been amended to clarify that garnishment exemptions and joint account summons may be filed during the closure and those matters will be heard at 2:00 p.m. in Traffic Courtroom D. The Clerk of the Court will be contacting the parties to obtain available dates for any such motions that are filed. Hon. Daniel R. Lahne, Chief Judge

 

  • Virginia Beach Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court
    • Order December 17th, 2021
    • Order December 8th, 2020
    • Order July 14, 2020
    • Order June 16, 2020
    • Order June 3, 2020
    • 5/29/20: JDRC order for weekenders/delayed report defendants
    • Order May 15, 2020
    • Parenting Seminar Requirement Please be advised that during the Judicial Emergency, parties may satisfy the parenting seminar requirement by attending an approved webinar listed on the Supreme Court’s website. The link is located on the Virginia Supreme Court’s main Parenting Education web page under the “Find A Parent Education Seminar” heading: http://www.vacourts.gov/courtadmin/aoc/djs/programs/parented/home.html.
    • If you have any questions, please contact vabjdr@vacourts.gov
    • Guilty Plea Form – The below link is for use in the Virginia Beach Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court to use if the attorney for the defendant desires to proceed via video on a guilty plea. The exact form is not necessary. However, the same or similar language is required by the Virginia Beach Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court.
    • Updated Order Entered April 24, 2020
    • Updated Order Entered April 3, 2020
    • While the Virginia Beach Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court is under the Supreme Court of Virginia’s Order Declaring a Judicial Emergency in Response to COVID-19 Emergency and the JDRC Chief Judge’s Emergency Order of March 16, 2020, attorneys may email any documents that need to be filed to vabjdr@vacourts.gov. We request that you only use this email address for cases to be heard during this emergency time period and any other documents wait to be filed until after the Orders have expired using the normal filing procedures. We sincerely appreciate your patience during this time.
    • Guidance to all JDR Practitioners and Parties from Clerk of Court, Ms. Amy Burnham
      • Counsel may use our email address (vabjdr@vacourts.gov) while we are under the Judicial Emergency Order. We are trying to respond quickly, but it might take us until the next day to respond. If they do email us, please do not fax the same item. This just causes duplicate work.
        • We are processing mail.
        • We are processing LOAs.
        • We are processing consent/agreed orders; these are encouraged to be sent as soon as endorsed.
        • We are still finalizing the continuance plan for custody/visitation and adult criminal cases, but the other cases (with exception to Protective Orders) will be continued to the first available court date after May We have time on these dockets, so court dates shouldn’t be continued too far out.
        • It will take us a little longer to process to everything over the next few weeks. If they have any specific concerns, they can contact me (email is best)or any supervisor.
        • Thank you all for being patient with us! I really appreciate your flexibility as we figure this all out.
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