JUDGE PRO TEMPORE
Virginia Law allows the circuit court, at the request of the parties, to appoint a lawyer or retired judge to serve as a Judge Pro Tempore in many cases. Upon entry of the order by the circuit court judge, subject to any limitations contained therein, a Judge Pro Tempore has the same powers as a regular circuit court judge.
This procedure allows the parties to select the judge for a pending case and to move the case along very dramatically. In other words, a case scheduled for trial in a year or more can be tried within weeks of the entry of the appointing order.
