Specialty civil court dockets; business and complex litigation dockets established.
Sponsored By: Rodney T. Willett (Democratic)
In Committee
Summary
Specialty civil court dockets; business and complex litigation dockets established; criteria for eligible actions. Establishes a specialty docket, known as the business and complex litigation docket, to assist circuit courts with certain civil actions that involve specialized legal issues, complex contexts, intricate transactions, multiple parties, or other complicating factors. The bill provides that for an action to be eligible to be considered for a business and complex litigation docket, the action shall (i) present special complexity, including specialized issues or acute litigation management needs, and (ii) fall into one or more of several enumerated categories of civil actions. The bill also requires that such eligible action has a minimum amount in controversy of $100,000. The bill also enumerates several types of civil actions that are ineligible for such specialty docket but creates an exception for any such action that demonstrates extraordinary circumstances that would require specialized docket management. The bill creates a process by which counsel for any party or the circuit court judge initially assigned to an eligible action may request that the matter be transferred to the specialty docket and directs the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia, in collaboration with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia and the Specialty Docket Advisory Committee studying business and complex litigation dockets, to establish any rules or procedures as necessary for the transfer of such eligible actions.
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
No Economic Impacts Identified for this Bill
Sponsors & Cosponsors
Sponsor
Rodney T. Willett
Democratic • House
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
Actions Timeline
Continued from last session
7/21/2026HouseContinued to 2027 in Courts of Justice (Voice Vote)
2/4/2026HouseSubcommittee recommends continuing to 2028 (Voice Vote)
1/30/2026HouseAssigned HCJ sub: Civil
1/29/2026HouseReferred to Committee for Courts of Justice
1/13/2026HousePrefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102359D
1/13/2026House
Bill Text
Introduced
1/13/2026
Related Bills
SR6, Qualifying vehicles, certain; Dept. of Tax. to study options for abolishing personal property tax.
Study; Department of Taxation; options for abolishing the personal property taxation of certain qualifying vehicles; report. Requests the Department of Taxation to study options for abolishing the personal property taxation of certain qualifying vehicles and to evaluate alternative local revenue sources in order to account for the shortfall in local tax revenues that will result from the abolition of such tax.
SJ31, Washington County; DCR to study feasibility of establishing a state park in Holston River watershed.
Study; Department of Conservation and Recreation; state park in Washington County; report. Requests the Department of Conservation and Recreation to study the feasibility of establishing a state park in Washington County at the Mendota Trail and Abrams Falls located within the Holston River Watershed.
SB833, Open containers; prohibition on consumption and possession in the passenger area of motor vehicles.
Open containers; prohibition on consumption and possession in the passenger area of motor vehicles.
SB831, Challenges of qualified voters; duty of local electoral board to certify, civil penalty.
Elections; challenges of qualified voters; duty of local electoral board to certify; civil penalty. Provides that the certification of the results of an election is a clear ministerial duty of the local electoral boards and that a member of the local electoral board who neglects or refuses to perform such duty in accordance with law shall be subject to removal proceedings by the State Board of Elections and assessed a civil penalty not exceeding $1,000. The bill also authorizes the State Board of Elections to intervene and carry out the duties related to election certification in the event a local electoral board fails or refuses to do so. Additionally, the bill prohibits challenges to a voter's qualification to vote from any person who is not an officer of election.
SB829, Real property tax bills; disclosure, resource protection area.
Real property tax bills; disclosure; resource protection area.
SB821, Kratom; Virginia State Crime Commission to conduct an analysis of enforcement & regulation, report.
Virginia State Crime Commission; kratom regulation and enforcement; report.