Jurisdiction of Virginia Supreme Court
Amends
Article VI. Judiciary
Section 1. Judicial power; jurisdiction
Summary
This measure expands the jurisdiction of the Virginia Supreme Court to include answering questions posed to it by federal courts or high courts in other states.
Shall the Constitution of Virginia be amended so that the Virginia Supreme Court may answer questions of state law certified to it by a federal court or the highest appellate court of another state?
- First resolution – HJR233 – 1985
- Second resolution – HJR26 – 1986
- Referendum legislation – H223 – 1986
Article VI. Judiciary
Section 1. Judicial power; jurisdiction
The judicial power of the Commonwealth shall be vested in a Supreme Court and in such other courts of original or appellate jurisdiction subordinate to the Supreme Court as the General Assembly may from time to time establish. Trial courts of general jurisdiction, appellate courts, and such other courts as shall be so designated by the General Assembly shall be known as courts of record.
The Supreme Court shall, by virtue of this Constitution, have original jurisdiction in cases of habeas corpus, mandamus, and prohibition, and in matters of judicial censure, retirement, and removal under Section 10 of this article, and to answer questions of state law certified by a court of the United States or the highest appellate court of any other state. All other jurisdiction of the Supreme Court shall be appellate. Subject to such reasonable rules as may be prescribed as to the course of appeals and other procedural matters, the Supreme Court shall, by virtue of this Constitution, have appellate jurisdiction in cases involving the constitutionality of a law under this Constitution or the Constitution of the United States and in cases involving the life or liberty of any person.
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/constitution/article6/section1/
