University of Virginia Library

Judicial Council Suggests
Charlottesville Court Merger

The Charlottesville
Corporation Court may merge
with the Eighth and Ninth
Circuits under a plan of new
geographic districts composed
by a Virginia Judicial Council
subcommittee.

The General Assembly
authorized the proposal under
the District Court Law this
year. It attempts to reorganize
the state's court system
reducing Virginia's 40 judicial
circuits to 30.

Under the plan the counties
of Albemarle Fluvanna,
Greene and Madison of the
Eighth Circuit will join with the
four counties in the Ninth
Circuit and the Charlottesville
court to compose a single
revised district.

Currently, George M. Coles
is the judge of the
Charlottesville Corporation
Court. Judge David F. Berry
heads the Eighth Circuit, and
Judge Harold Purcell is in
charge of the Ninth Circuit.

A single judge would
probably head the proposed
merged district. No names have
yet been suggested for the
post.