CHAPTER 71

An Act to amend and reenact §§ 17-127.10, 17-185 as amended, and
17-137.1, relating to terms of certain courts, cities of the first class
and judges for new corporation courts, respectively; and to amend the
Code of Virginia by adding sections numbered 17-117.1 and 17-187.6
so as to create a corporation court for the city of Martinsville.

[H 50]
Approved March 1, 1966

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §§ 17-127.10, 17-135 as amended, and 17-137.1 of the Code of
Virginia be amended and reenacted and that the Code of Virginia be
amended by adding sections numbered 17-117.1 and 17-137.6, the amended
and new sections being as follows:

§ 17-117.1. AU jurisdiction now vested in the circuit court of the
city of Martinsville shall hereafter be vested in the corporation court of the
city of Martinsville. All suits, causes, motions and other proceedings of any
kind or character now pending in such circuit court are transferred to
the corporation court of that city, and shall be considered as pending
therem and processed within such court as if they had been originally
tustiftuted therein. All records pertaining to the circuit court and all
property and equipment used therein, are hereby transferred to and shall
become a part of the records and property of the corporation court of the
city of Martinsville.

The clerk, Commonwealth’s attorney and sergeant of the circuit
court shall be deemed to be, and shall serve as the clerk, Commonwealth's
attorney and sergeant, respectively, of the corporation court of the city
of Martinsville. The terms of such incumbents shall continue for the dura-
tion of such terms.

The corporation court for the city of Martinsville shall, in addition,
have concurrent jurisdiction with the circuit court of the seventh judicial
circuit in which such city is situated within the geographic territory of
such city of all proceedings at law or in equity, including criminal
prosecutions. The terms of such court shall be four in number, commenc-
ing the second Monday in February, the first Monday in May, the fourth
Monday in July and the first Monday in November, but the judge of such
court may, from time to time, change the day for the commencement of
the terms thereof, or any of them.

§ 17-127.10. The regular terms of the courts of the seventh judicial
circuit shall be as follows:

Henry County: Third Monday in January, first Monday in April, third
Monday in July and first Monday in October.

Patrick County: First Monday in March, June, September and
December. ***

§ 17-135. For the purpose of a judicial system, the following cities,
which as shown by the last preceding United States census, or other census
provided by law, contain ten thousand inhabitants or more, to-wit: Alex-
andria, Bristol, Charlottesville, Danville, Lynchburg, Martinsville, Newport
News, Norfolk, Petersburg, Portsmouth, Richmond, Roanoke, Chesapeake,
and Winchester are declared to be cities of the first class.

§ 17-137.1. If a new or additional corporation court be created a
judge shall be chosen therefor by the joint vote of the two houses of the
General Assembly for a term of eight years commencing on the first day
of February next following his election. The General Assembly, in any
case in which the act creating a new court becomes effective during the
same session or before or during a later session held prior to the regular
commencement of the term of the judge so elected, may, by a separate
election, fill the vacancy occasioned by the creation of the new court. In
any case in which the General Assembly cannot or does not fill the vacancy
the Governor shall, as soon as the session is adjourned, appoint a judge
for the new court for the time elapsing from the date of its creation until
the commencement of the term. The provisions of this section shall apply
to the corporation court of the city of * Martinsville.

§ 17-187.6. There is hereby created a corporation court for the city
of Martinsville. Such court and the judge thereof shall have, and are hereby
vested with, the powers, duties and jurisdiction imposed upon corporation
courts and the judges thereof by general law.

An emergency exists and this act is in force and effect on and after
May one, nineteen hundred sixty-six.