{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/18.2-37.1.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/18.2-37.1.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/18.2-37.1.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/18.2-37.1.html"}],"law_id":350858,"edition_id":2,"section_id":350858,"structure_id":50172,"section_number":"18.2-37.1","catch_line":"Certain matters not to constitute defenses","history":"2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 460.","full_text":"A\n\nAnother person’s actual or perceived sex, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation is not in and of itself, or together with an oral solicitation, a defense to any charge of capital murder, murder in the first degree, murder in the second degree, or voluntary manslaughter and is not in and of itself, or together with an oral solicitation, provocation negating or excluding malice as an element of murder.\n\nB\n\nNothing in this section shall be construed to prevent a defendant from exercising his constitutionally protected rights, including his right to call for evidence in his favor that is relevant and otherwise admissible in a criminal prosecution.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1306997,"text":"Another person’s actual or perceived sex, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation is not in and of itself, or together with an oral solicitation, a defense to any charge of capital murder, murder in the first degree, murder in the second degree, or voluntary manslaughter and is not in and of itself, or together with an oral solicitation, provocation negating or excluding malice as an element of murder.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":1306998,"text":"Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent a defendant from exercising his constitutionally protected rights, including his right to call for evidence in his favor that is relevant and otherwise admissible in a criminal prosecution.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A"}},"ancestry":[{"id":50172,"edition_id":2,"name":"Homicide","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":50171,"metadata":{"child_laws":15,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:23:51","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:16","permalink":{"id":1391767,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50172,"identifier":"1","token":"18.2\/4\/1","url":"\/18.2\/4\/1\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":50171,"edition_id":2,"name":"Crimes Against the Person","identifier":"4","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":4,"parent_id":50131,"metadata":{"child_laws":128,"child_structures":11},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:23:51","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:16","permalink":{"id":1391765,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50171,"identifier":"4","token":"18.2\/4","url":"\/18.2\/4\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":50131,"edition_id":2,"name":"Crimes and Offenses Generally","identifier":"18.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":52,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":960,"child_structures":94},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:22:59","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:15","permalink":{"id":1391141,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50131,"identifier":"18.2","token":"18.2","url":"\/18.2\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":350675,"structure_id":50172,"section_number":"18.2-30","catch_line":"Murder and manslaughter declared felonies","url":"\/18.2-30\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-30","metadata":false},{"id":350726,"structure_id":50172,"section_number":"18.2-31","catch_line":"Aggravated murder defined; punishment","url":"\/18.2-31\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-31","metadata":false},{"id":350744,"structure_id":50172,"section_number":"18.2-32","catch_line":"First and second degree murder defined; punishment","url":"\/18.2-32\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-32","metadata":false},{"id":350741,"structure_id":50172,"section_number":"18.2-32.1","catch_line":"Murder of a pregnant woman; penalty","url":"\/18.2-32.1\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-32.1","metadata":false},{"id":350742,"structure_id":50172,"section_number":"18.2-32.2","catch_line":"Killing a fetus; penalty","url":"\/18.2-32.2\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-32.2","metadata":false},{"id":350743,"structure_id":50172,"section_number":"18.2-32.3","catch_line":"Human infant; independent and separate existence","url":"\/18.2-32.3\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-32.3","metadata":false},{"id":350762,"structure_id":50172,"section_number":"18.2-33","catch_line":"Felony homicide defined; punishment","url":"\/18.2-33\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-33","metadata":false},{"id":350780,"structure_id":50172,"section_number":"18.2-34","catch_line":"Reserved","url":"\/18.2-34\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-34","metadata":false},{"id":350831,"structure_id":50172,"section_number":"18.2-35","catch_line":"How voluntary manslaughter punished","url":"\/18.2-35\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-35","metadata":false},{"id":350845,"structure_id":50172,"section_number":"18.2-36","catch_line":"How involuntary manslaughter punished","url":"\/18.2-36\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-36","metadata":false},{"id":350842,"structure_id":50172,"section_number":"18.2-36.1","catch_line":"Certain conduct punishable as involuntary manslaughter","url":"\/18.2-36.1\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-36.1","metadata":false},{"id":350843,"structure_id":50172,"section_number":"18.2-36.2","catch_line":"Involuntary manslaughter; operating a watercraft while under the influence; penalties","url":"\/18.2-36.2\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-36.2","metadata":false},{"id":350844,"structure_id":50172,"section_number":"18.2-36.3","catch_line":"Involuntary manslaughter; certain drug offenses","url":"\/18.2-36.3\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-36.3","metadata":false},{"id":350859,"structure_id":50172,"section_number":"18.2-37","catch_line":"How and where homicide prosecuted and punished if death occur without the Commonwealth","url":"\/18.2-37\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-37","metadata":{"court_decisions":""}},{"id":350858,"structure_id":50172,"section_number":"18.2-37.1","catch_line":"Certain matters not to constitute defenses","url":"\/18.2-37.1\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-37.1","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":350859,"structure_id":50172,"section_number":"18.2-37","catch_line":"How and where homicide prosecuted and punished if death occur without the Commonwealth","url":"\/18.2-37\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-37","metadata":{"court_decisions":""}},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/18.2-37.1\/","history_text":false,"references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":1391825,"object_type":"law","relational_id":350858,"identifier":"18.2-37.1","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-37.1","url":"\/18.2-37.1\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/18.2-37.1\/","token":"18.2\/4\/1\/18.2-37.1","dublin_core":{"Title":"Certain matters not to constitute defenses","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 18.2-37.1","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> Another person’s actual or perceived sex, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation is not in and of itself, or together with an oral solicitation, a defense to any charge of capital murder<\/span>, murder<\/span> in the first degree, murder<\/span> in the second degree, or voluntary manslaughter<\/span> and is not in and of itself, or together with an oral solicitation, provocation negating or excluding malice<\/span> as an element of murder<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent a defendant<\/span> from exercising his constitutionally protected rights, including his right to call for evidence<\/span> in his favor that is relevant and otherwise admissible<\/span> in a criminal prosecution<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nCERTAIN MATTERS NOT TO CONSTITUTE DEFENSES (\u00a7 18.2-37.1)\n\nA. Another person’s actual or perceived sex, gender, gender identity, or\nsexual orientation is not in and of itself, or together with an oral\nsolicitation, a defense to any charge of capital murder, murder in the first\ndegree, murder in the second degree, or voluntary manslaughter and is not in and\nof itself, or together with an oral solicitation, provocation negating or\nexcluding malice as an element of murder.\n\nB. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent a defendant from\nexercising his constitutionally protected rights, including his right to call\nfor evidence in his favor that is relevant and otherwise admissible in a\ncriminal prosecution.\n\nHISTORY: 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 460.","edition":{"id":2,"name":"2026","slug":"2026","date_created":"2026-07-16 18:40:23","date_modified":"2026-08-02 15:14:36","current":1,"order_by":2,"last_import":"2026-08-02 12:37:30"}}