Editing Virginia (section)

===Legal system===
[[File:SupremeCourtofVirginiaBuilding.JPG|thumb|Unlike the [[Federal judiciary of the United States|federal judiciary system]], justices of the [[Supreme Court of Virginia|Virginia Supreme Court]] have term limits, a mandatory retirement age, and select their own Chief Justice.|alt=A seven-story sandstone building faced with ionic columns on a city street corner.]]
The judges and justices who make up [[Judiciary of Virginia|Virginia's judicial system]], also the oldest in America, are elected by a majority vote in both the House and Senate without input from the governor, one way Virginia's legislature is stronger than its executive. The [[Governor of Virginia|governor]] can make [[recess appointment]]s, and when both branches are controlled by the same party, the assembly often confirms them. The judicial hierarchy starts with the [[Virginia General District Court|General District Courts]] and [[Virginia Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court|Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Courts]], with the [[Virginia Circuit Court|Circuit Courts]] above them, then the [[Court of Appeals of Virginia]], and the [[Supreme Court of Virginia]] on top.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.courts.state.va.us/courts/cib.pdf|title=Virginia Courts In Brief|publisher=Virginia Judicial System|date=May 5, 2009|access-date=August 17, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090704084122/http://www.courts.state.va.us/courts/cib.pdf|archive-date=July 4, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> The Supreme Court has seven justices who serve 12-year terms, with a [[mandatory retirement age]] of 73; they select their own chief justice, who is informally limited to two four-year terms.<ref>{{cite news | title = Hassell to step down as the state's chief justice | url = http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/hassell-to-step-down-as-the-state-s-chief-justice/article_842d7859-905b-5ca2-ab69-996e97ce6ef3.html | first = Frank | last = Green | date = May 12, 2010 | newspaper= Richmond Times-Dispatch | access-date = September 26, 2013}}</ref> Virginia was the last state to guarantee an automatic right of [[appeal]] for all civil and criminal cases. Its Court of Appeals increased from 11 to 17 judges in 2021.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.wric.com/news/politics/capitol-connection/gov-northam-signs-14-new-bills-into-law-last-minute/ |title= Gov. Northam signs 14 new bills into law last minute |website= ABC8 WRIC |first= Amelia |last= Heymann |date= March 31, 2021 |access-date= April 1, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.virginiamercury.com/2021/03/08/virginia-court-of-appeals-set-to-get-six-new-judges-after-lawmakers-agree-to-expansion/ |title= Virginia Court of Appeals set to get six new judges after lawmakers agree to expansion |newspaper= The Virginia Mercury |first= Ned |last= Oliver |date= March 8, 2021 |access-date= April 1, 2021}}</ref>

The [[Code of Virginia]] is the statutory law and consists of the codified legislation of the General Assembly. The largest [[List of law enforcement agencies in Virginia|law enforcement agency in Virginia]] is the [[Virginia State Police]], with 3,035&nbsp;sworn and civilian members {{As of|2019|lc=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://vsp.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/VSP-Annual-Report-2019-1.pdf |title= 2019 Facts & Figures |publisher= Virginia State Police |date= January 18, 2022 |access-date= May 5, 2023}}</ref> The [[Virginia Marine Police]] were founded as the "Oyster Navy" in 1864 in response to [[Oyster pirate|oyster bed poaching]].{{importance inline|date=November 2024}}<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.pilotonline.com/news/article_bff283c8-cc05-5ec4-944d-6a3ba45be345.html |title= State says it's ready to get tough on oyster poachers |newspaper= The Virginian-Pilot |first= Scott |last= Harper |date= September 15, 2007 |access-date= July 20, 2021}}</ref> The [[Virginia Division of Capitol Police|Virginia Capitol Police]] protect the legislature and executive department, and are the oldest police department in the United States, dating to the guards who protected the colonial leadership.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.vcp.state.va.us/message.htm|title=Message from the Chief|year=2008|first=Kimberly|last=Lettner|publisher=The Division of Capitol Police|access-date=September 10, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090519054023/http://www.vcp.state.va.us/message.htm|archive-date=May 19, 2009}}</ref> The governor can also call upon the [[Virginia National Guard]], which consists of approximately [[Virginia Army National Guard|7,200&nbsp;army soldiers]], [[Virginia Air National Guard|1,200&nbsp;airmen]], [[Virginia Defense Force|300&nbsp;Defense Force members]], and 400&nbsp;civilians.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://va.ng.mil/News/Article/2391662/about-the-virginia-national-guard/|title=About the Virginia National Guard|website=[[Virginia Army National Guard]]|date=July 1, 2020|access-date=December 11, 2021}}</ref>

Between 1608 and 2021, when the [[capital punishment in Virginia|death penalty]] was abolished, the state executed over 1,300 people, including [[List of people executed in Virginia|113 following the resumption of capital punishment]] in 1982.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/24/us/politics/virginia-death-penalty.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/24/us/politics/virginia-death-penalty.html |archive-date=December 28, 2021 |url-access=limited |title= Virginia Becomes First Southern State to Abolish the Death Penalty |newspaper= The New York Times |date= March 24, 2021 |access-date= March 24, 2021 |first= Hailey |last= Fuchs}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Virginia's prison system incarcerates 30,936&nbsp;people {{As of|2018|lc=on}}, 53% of whom are Black,<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.vera.org/downloads/pdfdownloads/state-incarceration-trends-virginia.pdf |title= Incarceration Trends in Virginia |publisher= Vera Institute of Justice |date= November 25, 2019 |access-date= January 28, 2021}}</ref> and the state has the sixteenth-highest [[List of U.S. states and territories by incarceration and correctional supervision rate|rate of incarceration in the country]], at 422 per 100,000&nbsp;residents.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.thecentersquare.com/virginia/0-42-of-virginia-residents-are-incarcerated-study-finds/article_78ccf08a-3a31-11eb-a82d-f7d93decf4e5.html |title= 0.42% of Virginia residents are incarcerated, study finds |website= The Center Square |date= December 13, 2020 |access-date= January 28, 2021}}</ref> Prisoner [[parole]] was ended in 1995,<ref>{{cite news|title=Parole Remains Elusive for Virginia Prisoners|url=https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2017/oct/9/parole-remains-elusive-virginia-prisoners/|work=[[Prison Legal News]]|date=October 9, 2019|first=David|last=Reutter}}</ref> and Virginia's rate of [[recidivism]] of released felons who are re-convicted within three years and sentenced to a year or more is 23.1%, the lowest in the country {{As of|2019|lc=on}}.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbs19news.com/story/41644910/virginias-recidivism-rate-remains-lowest-in-the-country|publisher=WCAV|title=Virginia's recidivism rate remains lowest in the country|date=February 3, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Jeff|last=Schwaner|date=April 1, 2019|title=Explaining recidivism rates in Virginia, why the conversation around them is limited|url=https://www.newsleader.com/story/news/local/2019/04/01/virginia-recidivism-rates-how-many-reoffenders-jail-criminal-justice/3274008002/|work=The News Leader}}</ref> Virginia has the fourth lowest violent crime rate and thirteenth lowest property crime rate {{as of|2018|lc=on}}.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://apnews.com/4b62ec4728454e0186dc5139937f5dd9 |work= Associated Press |title= Virginia ranks among states with lowest crime rates |first= Jaclyn |last= Barton |date= October 9, 2019 |access-date= March 4, 2020}}</ref> Between 2008 and 2017, arrests for drug-related crimes rose 38%, with 71% of those related to [[Cannabis in Virginia|marijuana]],<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.dcjs.virginia.gov/sites/dcjs.virginia.gov/files/publications/research/virginia-index-crime-and-drug-arrest-trends-2008-2017.pdf |title= Virginia Index Crime and Drug Arrest Trends 2008–2017 |website= Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services |date= May 2019 |access-date= March 25, 2021}}</ref> which Virginia [[Decriminalization of non-medical cannabis in the United States|decriminalized]] in July 2020 and [[Legality of cannabis by U.S. jurisdiction|legalized]] in July 2021.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/virginia/northam-considers-marijuana-bill-some-virginians-push-legalization-2021/65-f40dad44-fbf7-4d58-9bf7-d67213c3b91e |title= As Northam considers marijuana bill, some Virginians push for legalization now |website= WUSA9 |first= John |last= Henry |date= March 23, 2021 |access-date= March 25, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/virginia-marijuana-law-ralph-northam |title= Virginia latest state to legalize marijuana after Gov. Northam signs new law |first= Michael |last=Ruiz |website= Fox Business |date= April 22, 2021 |access-date= April 23, 2021}}</ref>