Chap. 230.—An ACT to amend and reenact Section 4987-h of the Code of Vir-
ginia relating to the places at which trial justices shall sit for the heari
and trial of matters and cases. {H 303]

Approved March 13, 1948

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That section forty-nine hundred eighty-seven-h of the Code
of Virginia, be amended and reenacted as follows:

Section 4987-h. Place of hearing and trial; where process
returnable—The trial justice shall sit for the hearing and trial of
criminal and civil matters and cases at the county seat of the county,
and at the town or city hall of the town or city for which he may
have been appointed or such other suitable place as the council of
such town or city shall provide therein for such purpose, and at
such other times and places in said county, or in a city of the first
or second class located therein or adjoining the same, as may,
from time to time, be designated and prescribed by the circuit
court of such county and a schedule of the times and places of his
sittings shall be kept posted at the courthouse of such county and
at each of said designated places. Any matter may be removed for
hearing, in the discretion of the trial justice, from any one of such
designated places to another such designated place, or to the
county seat, in order to subserve the convenience of the parties
or to expedite the administration of justice.

All process, civil and criminal, returnable before such trial
justice shall be made returnable before him, if the defendants or
any one of them, resides in such town or city, at his court room
or place of sitting in said city or town, and if none of the defendants
resides in such town or city, at the county seat or at one of such
designated places of sitting, whichever shall be nearer or more
accessible to such defendant or defendants.
For all jurisdictional requirements hereunder, the county seat
and each and all of such designated places of sitting above provided
shall be deemed to be a part of each and every magisterial district
in said county.

Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, the said circuit
court may prescribe and require that all hearings and trials of all
cases shall be at the county seat.

2. An emergency exists and this act is in force from its passage.