CHAPTER 156

AN ACT to amend and reenact § 26-A of Chapter 343, as amended, of the
Acts of Assembly of 1928, approved March 21, 1928, being the charter
of the city of Lynchburg, relating to the juvenile and domestic rela-
tions court.

[S 180]

Approved March 8, 1958

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 26-A of Chapter 343, as amended, of the Acts of Assembly of
1928, approved March 21, 1928, be amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 26-A. Notwithstanding any other provision of this charter, the
council * shall appoint or elect * a person who at the time of his election
shall be an attorney at law, who shall have been licensed to practice law
in this State for at least five years, who shall be known as the judge of
the juvenile and domestic relations court of the city, whose term of
office shall begin the first day of the month following his election and shall
continue for * siz years thereafter; his salary shall be fixed by the city
council and paid out of the city treasury in monthly, bi-weekly or weekly
installments, and shall not be diminished during his term of office.

* The assistant judge of the municipal court, or, if he be unavailable,
the substitute assistant judge of the municipal court, shall be authorized
to act in all matters in the place, room and stead of the said judge of the
juvenile and domestic relations court in case of absence from the city or
inability to act on the part of the judge of the said juvenile and domestic
relations court or during the annual vacation of said judge; and the
compensation for so acting shall be fixed by the council and paid out of
the city treasury. The assistant judge of the municipal court, or the sub-
stitute assistant judge of the municipal court, independently of whether
either be acting for the judge of the juvenile and domestic relations court
or not, shall, subject to the general supervision and control of the judge
of the juvenile and domestic relations court, have at all times the same
authority and power with respect to the admitting to bail and the
issuing of warrants, summons, process, capias, and other proper papers
as to matters within the jurisdiction of the juvenile and domestic relations
court as such officers now possess with respect to bail and the issuance
of such papers as to matters within the jurisdiction of the municipal court.
The judge of the juvenile and domestic relations court shall hold court
at such times as the council may by ordinance or resolution provide, and
the city council shall further have the authority to provide by ordinance
or resolution for the trial of juvenile cases coming before said court
separate and apart from domestic relations cases. ;

Any vacancy in the office of such judge shall be filled for the unexpired
term in the manner prescribed herein for original appointments or election
to such office,

The judge of the juvenile and domestic relations court shall have * the
same powers, jurisdiction, duties, rights, privileges, and the same method
of qualifiication as are now conferred and provided for by general State
laws upon such courts in this State and the judges thereof. *

The present judge of the juvenile and domestic relations court shall
continue in office until the expiration of the term for which he was ap-
pointed or elected, and upon the expiration of his term and of each suc-
cessive term thereafter, a successor shall be appointed or elected for the
term and in the manner prescribed herein.

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