Chap. 32.-An ACT to make the city of Buena Vista a part of the 18th
judicial circuit; to establish a circuit court for said city and prescribe the
times for holding terms thereof; to make the judge of the 18th judicial circuit
the judge of said circuit court; to prescribe the jurisdiction of said circuit
court; to transfer to said circuit court all suits, actions, proceedings and
matters pending in said corporation court; to provide for the clerk and other
officers of said circuit court and a Commonwealth’s attorney for said city;
to transfer to the clerk’s office of said circuit court and make parts of the
records therein, all record books, papers and records of and in the clerk’s
office of said corporation court; and to provide when this act shall be in force.

[H B 238]

Approved February 26, 1938

1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia as follows:

Section 1. The city of Buena Vista is hereby made, and declared
to be, a part of the eighteenth judicial circuit, and there is hereby
established a circuit court for said city, under the designation of the
circuit court of the city of Buena Vista, in which city there shall be
held each year, four terms of said circuit court, beginning on the first
Monday in April and the fourth Monday in July, September and Janu-
ary, but the judge of said court may, from time to time, change the day
for the commencement of such terms or any of them. The judge of
the eighteenth judicial circuit shall be the judge of the circuit court
of the city of Buena Vista.
Section 2. There is hereby transferred to and vested in the cir-
cuit court of the city of Buena Vista all jurisdiction and authority here-
tofore vested by law in the corporation court of said city, of and con-
cerning all cases, matters and proceedings, both civil and criminal, arising
within said city, and said circuit court shall also have all such juris-
diction and authority of and concerning all such cases, matters and
proceedings, both civil and criminal, arising within said city, vested
by law in circuit courts, which may not have been vested in said cor-
poration court, and shall also have concurrent jurisdiction with the
circuit court of Rockbridge county, of and over all criminal offenses
committed within one mile of the corporation limits of said city.

Section 3. The clerk of the corporation court, the Commonwealth’s
attorney, the city sergeant and other officers of the corporation court,
elected or appointed, shall continue as officers of the circuit court of
Buena Vista during the remainder of the terms for which they were
elected or appointed, and their successors shall be elected or appointed
as provided by the charter of said city and the laws of this State.
The sergeant of said city shall have authority to serve any and all pro-
cesses emanating from said circuit court, or the clerk’s office thereof,
with like effect as if they were served by a sheriff; and said sergeant
shall attend upon the terms of said circuit court, perform similar ser-
vices and duties as sheriffs attending circuit courts and have the com-
pensation provided by the laws of this State, for his services.

Section 4. All suits, actions, proceedings and matters both of a
civil and criminal nature, pending in said corporation court, are hereby
transferred to the said circuit court and shall be treated and considered
as pending therein, and the papers and records in all such suits, actions,
matters and proceedings in which final decrees, judgments and orders
have been made and entered by and in the said corporation court, are
hereby transferred to the clerk’s office of said circuit court, and shall
become and be a part of the records therein, and all books of whatever
nature, in the clerk’s office of said corporation court, wherein are re-
corded, entered or docketed deeds, court orders, judgments and other
writings or proceedings of any nature whatsoever, and all papers re-
turned to and filed in said clerk’s office, are hereby transferred to, and
made records of the clerk’s office of said circuit court, and all such
deeds, judgments and other writings shall be treated and considered as
if they had been recorded, entered or docketed in the clerk’s office of
said circuit court, and all such court orders shall be treated and con-
sidered as if they had been made and entered by the said circuit court.

Z. All acts and parts of acts inconsistent with this act, are hereby
repealed to the extent of such inconsistency, in so far as the circuit
court of the city of Buena Vista may be concerned.

3. An emergency existing this act shall be in force from and after
the day upon which the corporation court of the city of Buena Vista
ceases to exist, either by abolishment or by vacancy in office of the
judge thereof. under the provisions of section ninety-eight of the Con-
stitution of Virginia.