2026 SESSION

ENROLLED

VIRGINIA ACTS OF ASSEMBLY -- CHAPTER

An Act to amend and reenact § 17.1-905 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission; submission of annual report.

[S 804]

Approved

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 17.1-905 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 17.1-905. Annual report.

On or before December 1 of each year, the Commission shall submit to the Chairmen and ranking members Chairs of the House and Senate Committees for Courts of Justice and to the ranking Delegate and Senator of the minority party serving on such Committees a report detailing the activities of the Commission for the prior year. The report shall include the number of complaints filed with the Commission; the number of complaints originating from attorneys, judges, court employees, or the general public; the number of complaints dismissed based on (i) failure to fall within the jurisdiction of the Commission, (ii) failure to state a violation of the Canons of Judicial Conduct, or (iii) failure of the Commission to reach a conclusion that the Canons were breached; the number of complaints for which the Commission concluded that the Canons of Judicial Conduct were breached; and the number of cases from which the staff or any member of the Commission recused himself due to an actual or possible conflict. The report shall also include (a) the name of any judge who the Commission concluded breached the Canons of Judicial Conduct and took disciplinary action against as a result of such conclusion, if the date on which the Commission reached such conclusion was after the previous annual report was published; (b) the specific Canons of Judicial Conduct breached by such judge; and (c) the disciplinary action taken against such judge by the Commission. No annual report shall be considered confidential following the Following submission of such report to the Chairmen Chairs of the House and Senate Committees for Courts of Justice, no report shall be considered confidential to the extent that such Chairs may release such report to members of the General Assembly and in accordance with the provisions of this section. The decision of whether to release rescind or redact any portion of such annual report publicly shall be made by the General Assembly require the consensus of a majority of the Chairs and such ranking members to whom the annual report is submitted pursuant to this section. If no action to rescind or redact any portion of the annual report is taken or if a consensus to take such action cannot be reached within 30 days of submission to the Chairs and ranking members, the annual report shall be published. The 30-day time period shall begin the day the Commission submits the annual report to the General Assembly. If the 30-day period expires on a Saturday, Sunday, legal holiday, or day on which the General Assembly is lawfully closed, the 30-day period shall be extended to the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, legal holiday, or day on which the General Assembly is lawfully closed.