§ 19.2-259 On trial for felony, accused to be present; when court may enter plea for him, and trial go on
A person tried for felony shall be personally present during the trial. If when arraigned he will not plead or answer and does not confess his guilt the court shall have the plea of not guilty entered and the trial shall proceed as if the accused had put in that plea. But for the purposes of this section a motion for a continuance, whether made before or after arraignment, shall not be deemed to be part of the trial.
History
The record of this law’s original creation isn’t available online. The oldest record of it is its appearance in the Code of Virginia of 1950, as § 19.1-240. It has been modified 2 times. Those modifications are cataloged by “The Acts of Assembly,” a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly’s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1960, chapter 366; in 1975, chapter 495.
Code 1950, § 19.1-240; 1960, c. 366; 1975, c. 495.