Virginia’s court system is made up of four levels: the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, the circuit courts, and the district courts.
Every county and city in Virginia has a circuit and district court, each of which are organized into 31 statewide circuits and 32 districts, respectively. In addition, magistrates serve as judicial officers to provide an independent review of complaints of criminal conduct brought by law enforcement or the public. Nearly 3,000 people work within the court system and larger judicial branch. The House Appropriations Committee provides general funds to support the operation of the state’s judicial system.
Court System Overview
- Virginia Supreme Court
This court’s primary purpose is to review decisions of lower tribunals, as the court’s original jurisdiction is limited to only select cases and matters filed by the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission relating to judicial censure, retirement, or removal; and on appeal of right, to cases involving the State Corporation Commission and certain disciplinary actions against attorneys.
- Virginia Court of Appeals
This intermediate appellate court was established in 1985 to increase the appellate capacity of the court system and expedite appellate review.
- Circuit Courts
These trial courts have the broadest powers in Virginia and handle most civil cases with claims >$25,000. They share authority with general district courts to hear matters involving claims between $4,500 and $50,000. The circuit courts also have the authority to hear felonies and family matters and hear cases appealed from the district courts.
- General District Courts
These courts handle traffic violations, hear misdemeanors, conduct preliminary hearings for felonies, have exclusive authority to hear civil cases with claims ≤$4,500, and share authority with the circuit courts to hear cases with claims between $4,500 and $50,000 in civil cases.
- Juvenile and Domestic Relations (JDR) District Courts
These courts hear all matters involving juveniles and cases involving juvenile delinquency and status offenses, as well as matters involving the family (i.e., custody, support and visitation, family abuse cases, etc.).
Budget Overview
Most funding for the court system in Virginia is from the state via general fund appropriation, although courts also receive support from local governments, as well nongeneral fund revenue from sources such as fees and federal grants.
All justices/judges in the Commonwealth are state employees. The clerks for all levels of courts are state employees; however, clerks of the circuit court are locally elected constitutional officers and are funded within the Compensation Board budget. Staff in the Supreme Court andCourt of Appeals are state employees, as are staff in district courts. Circuit court staffing is split between state and local responsibility, with the state portion funded through the Compensation Board. Staff in magistrates offices are state employees under the purview of the Office of the Executive Secretary. The Office of the Executive Secretary provides administrative assistance and direction to the courts and magistrates through its ten departments and various related programs. The Supreme Court and Court of Appeals buildings are state owned and supported, but district and circuit courthouses are owned and maintained by localities. The state also owns and operates information technology in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, in district courts, and holds a majority interest in IT infrastructure and equipment in circuit courts.
Program / Policy Highlights
- Criminal Fund
Covers specific court operating costs via a lump sum general fund appropriation. For FY 2026 and FY 2027, the Criminal Fund general fund (GF) appropriation is set at $139,541,179 and $146,976,138, respectively. Services reimbursed out of the Criminal Fund include court-appointed attorneys, mediators, court-appointed experts, guardians ad litem, interpreters, and jurors.
Within the Criminal Fund allocation is a subfund to cover fee waiver caps for court-appointed attorneys; these must be approved by a judge and payment of waiver amounts is subject to the availability of funds. Once the annual cap is met, no additional waivers may be granted until the following fiscal year. Presently, the statewide cap on waivers is set at $5,175,000.
- The courts’ budget also includes general funds for the Involuntary Mental Commitment Fund (IMC), from which costs are paid for involuntary commitment hearings.
- On an annual basis, a workgroup comprised of staff from the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court, the Department of Planning and Budget, and the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees forecast estimated expenditures from the Criminal and IMC funds for upcoming fiscal years.
- Specialty Dockets
These offer judicial supervision, intensive treatment, and other services as an alternative to traditional incarceration, focusing on remediation and rehabilitation to reduce recidivism. The three types officially recognized by the Supreme Court of Virginia are drug treatment courts, veterans treatment dockets, and behavioral/mental health dockets. These dockets are supported by a mix of federal, state, and local funds.
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