Jurors whose names appear in the list provided for under §§ 8.01-348 and 8.01-351 shall be used for the trial of cases, civil and criminal, to be tried during the term. The judge shall direct the selection of as many jurors as may be necessary to appear for the trial of any case. Any court shall have power to discharge persons summoned as jurors therein, or to dispense with their attendance on any day of its sitting. When by reason of challenge or otherwise a sufficient number of jurors summoned cannot be obtained for the trial of any case, the judge may select from the names on the jury list provided for by § 8.01-345 the names of as many persons as he deems necessary and cause them to be summoned to appear forthwith for the trial.
§ 8.01-355.Jurors on list to be used for trial of cases during term; discharge or dispensing with attendance of jurors; drawing additional jurors.
Chapter 11. Juries · Article 4. Jury Service · Last amended 1977 · Last verified July 16, 2026
In one sentenceLets the jurors listed for a court term serve across all the term’s civil and criminal trials, gives the court power to discharge or excuse summoned jurors as needed, and allows the judge to pull and summon additional names directly from the master jury list when challenges leave too few jurors for a trial.
Full Text of § 8.01-355
Plain-English Summary
A single jury pool does not exist for just one case — it serves the whole term. This section confirms that jurors on the lists produced under §§ 8.01-348 and 8.01-351 are available for every civil and criminal trial happening during that term, with the judge directing how many get called for any particular case.
Courts also get flexibility in managing that pool day to day: a court can discharge summoned jurors outright or excuse them from attending on a given sitting day, without disrupting the overall term list. And when challenges or other circumstances leave too few jurors for a trial, the judge is not stuck — the judge can select additional names straight from the master jury list under § 8.01-345 and have them summoned to appear immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the same jury pool serve for multiple cases during a single term?
Yes. Jurors on the list are used for the trial of all cases, civil and criminal, to be tried during the term.
Can a court excuse a juror from attending on a particular day?
Yes. Any court has power to discharge persons summoned as jurors or to dispense with their attendance on any day of its sitting.
What happens if too few jurors remain after challenges?
The judge may select from the names on the jury list provided by § 8.01-345 as many persons as he deems necessary and cause them to be summoned to appear forthwith.
Who decides how many jurors need to be selected to appear for a case?
The judge.
Where do emergency additional jurors under this section come from?
The master jury list provided for by § 8.01-345, the same source used for the original jury list.
Amendment History
Code 1950, § 8-208.17; 1973, c. 439; 1975, c. 359; 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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