No person shall be eligible to serve on any jury when he, or any person for him, solicits or requests a jury commissioner to place his name in a jury box or in any way designate such person as a juror.
§ 8.01-339.No person eligible for whom request is made.
Chapter 11. Juries · Article 2. Jurors · Last amended 1977 · Last verified July 16, 2026
In one sentenceBars a person from jury service if that person, or someone acting on their behalf, solicits or requests a jury commissioner to place their name in a jury box or otherwise designate them as a juror, keeping the selection process free of self-interested manipulation.
Full Text of § 8.01-339
Plain-English Summary
This short section closes off a particular kind of manipulation: nobody gets to lobby their way onto a jury. If a person, or someone acting on that person’s behalf, asks a jury commissioner to place their name in the jury box or otherwise steer them toward jury service, that request disqualifies them.
The point is to keep jury selection random and untainted by self-interest. A commissioner’s oath under § 8.01-344 echoes the same principle, promising to select nobody who has been requested.
The rule works as a flat bar rather than a case-by-case judgment call — once the solicitation happens, the person becomes ineligible, regardless of how well-intentioned the request might have been.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a person ask to be placed on a jury list in Virginia?
No. Doing so, or having someone else make that request on their behalf, makes that person ineligible to serve on any jury.
Why does Virginia disqualify people who ask to serve on a jury?
The rule keeps jury selection random and free of self-interested manipulation, preserving impartial administration of justice.
Does the disqualifying request have to come from the prospective juror personally?
No. The section applies whether the person makes the request themselves or someone else makes it for them.
What does it mean for a jury commissioner to “designate” someone as a juror by request?
It refers to any way a commissioner is asked to single out or place a person’s name for jury service, which triggers ineligibility under this section.
Is there any exception for a well-meaning request to serve?
No. The section bars the result of active solicitation regardless of the requester’s motive.
Amendment History
Code 1950, § 8-208.4; 1973, c. 439; 1977, c. 617.
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Code of Virginia, published by the
Code of Virginia, Virginia Division of Legislative Automated Systems. Last verified July 16, 2026.
· Official source
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