{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/18.2-437.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/18.2-437.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/18.2-437.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/18.2-437.html"}],"law_id":350960,"edition_id":2,"section_id":350960,"structure_id":50198,"section_number":"18.2-437","catch_line":"Immunity of witnesses","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 18.1-277; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15.","full_text":"No witness called by the attorney for the Commonwealth, or by the court, and required to give evidence for the prosecution in a proceeding under this article shall ever be proceeded against for the offense concerning which he testified. Such witness shall be compelled to testify and may be punished for contempt for refusing to do so.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1307310,"text":"No witness called by the attorney for the Commonwealth, or by the court, and required to give evidence for the prosecution in a proceeding under this article shall ever be proceeded against for the offense concerning which he testified. Such witness shall be compelled to testify and may be punished for contempt for refusing to do so.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":50198,"edition_id":2,"name":"Perjury","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":50197,"metadata":{"child_laws":4,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:24:29","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:27","permalink":{"id":1391225,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50198,"identifier":"1","token":"18.2\/10\/1","url":"\/18.2\/10\/1\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":50197,"edition_id":2,"name":"Crimes Against the Administration of Justice","identifier":"10","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":10,"parent_id":50131,"metadata":{"child_laws":65,"child_structures":7},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:24:29","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:26","permalink":{"id":1391223,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50197,"identifier":"10","token":"18.2\/10","url":"\/18.2\/10\/","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":350957,"structure_id":50198,"section_number":"18.2-434","catch_line":"What deemed perjury; punishment and penalty","url":"\/18.2-434\/","token":"18.2\/10\/1\/18.2-434","metadata":false},{"id":350958,"structure_id":50198,"section_number":"18.2-435","catch_line":"Giving conflicting testimony on separate occasions as to same matter; indictment; sufficiency of evidence","url":"\/18.2-435\/","token":"18.2\/10\/1\/18.2-435","metadata":{"court_decisions":{"0":{"name":"Stephen Matthew Sutphin v. Commonwealth of Virginia","case_number":"1376112","citation":"61 Va. App. 315","date":"2012-12-18","url":"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/opinion\/1061502\/stephen-matthew-sutphin-v-commonwealth-of-virginia\/","abstract":" .\u202f.\u202f. HUMPHREYS, Judge. .\u202f.\u202f. ","court_html":"<abbr title=\"Court of Appeals\">COA<\/abbr>"},"1":{"name":"Shifflett v. Commonwealth (ORDER)","case_number":"140273","citation":null,"date":"2015-01-08","url":"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/opinion\/2767475\/shifflett-v-commonwealth-order\/","abstract":" .\u202f.\u202f. VIRGINIA: .\u202f.\u202f. ","court_html":"<abbr title=\"Supreme Court of Virginia\">SCV<\/abbr>"},"2":{"name":"Angelone v. Dabney","case_number":"Record 011069","citation":"263 Va. 323","date":"2002-03-01","url":"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/opinion\/1059374\/angelone-v-dabney\/","abstract":" .\u202f.\u202f. JUSTICE KEENAN .\u202f.\u202f. ","court_html":"<abbr title=\"Supreme Court of Virginia\">SCV<\/abbr>"},"3":{"name":"Scott v. Commonwealth","case_number":"Record No. 0243-91-4","citation":"416 S.E.2d 47","date":"1992-04-07","url":"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/opinion\/1270467\/scott-v-commonwealth\/","abstract":" .\u202f.\u202f. 416 S.E.2d 47 (1992) .\u202f.\u202f. ","court_html":"<abbr title=\"Court of Appeals\">COA<\/abbr>"},"4":{"name":"Williams v. Commonwealth","case_number":"Record No. 0794-87-2","citation":"381 S.E.2d 361","date":"1989-06-20","url":"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/opinion\/1340959\/williams-v-commonwealth\/","abstract":" .\u202f.\u202f. 381 S.E.2d 361 (1989) .\u202f.\u202f. ","court_html":"<abbr title=\"Court of Appeals\">COA<\/abbr>"},"5":{"name":"Robinson v. Salvation Army","case_number":"Record 160039","citation":"791 S.E.2d 577","date":"2016-10-27","url":"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/opinion\/4315992\/robinson-v-salvation-army\/","abstract":" .\u202f.\u202f. OPINION BY JUSTICE CLEO E. POWELL .\u202f.\u202f. ","court_html":"<abbr title=\"Supreme Court of Virginia\">SCV<\/abbr>"}}}},{"id":350959,"structure_id":50198,"section_number":"18.2-436","catch_line":"Inducing another to give false testimony; sufficiency of evidence","url":"\/18.2-436\/","token":"18.2\/10\/1\/18.2-436","metadata":false},{"id":350960,"structure_id":50198,"section_number":"18.2-437","catch_line":"Immunity of witnesses","url":"\/18.2-437\/","token":"18.2\/10\/1\/18.2-437","metadata":{"court_decisions":{"0":{"name":"Commonwealth v. Sluss","case_number":"Record No. 0017-92-3","citation":"419 S.E.2d 263","date":"1992-06-08","url":"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/opinion\/1338701\/commonwealth-v-sluss\/","abstract":" .\u202f.\u202f. 419 S.E.2d 263 (1992) .\u202f.\u202f. ","court_html":"<abbr title=\"Court of Appeals\">COA<\/abbr>"},"1":{"name":"Herring v. Blankenship","case_number":"Civ. A. 86-0149-B","citation":"662 F. Supp. 557","date":"1987-05-29","url":"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/opinion\/1393013\/herring-v-blankenship\/","abstract":" .\u202f.\u202f. 662 F.Supp. 557 (1987) .\u202f.\u202f. ","court_html":"District Court, W.D. Virginia"}}}}],"previous_section":{"id":350959,"structure_id":50198,"section_number":"18.2-436","catch_line":"Inducing another to give false testimony; sufficiency of evidence","url":"\/18.2-436\/","token":"18.2\/10\/1\/18.2-436","metadata":false},"metadata":{"court_decisions":{"0":{"name":"Commonwealth v. Sluss","case_number":"Record No. 0017-92-3","citation":"419 S.E.2d 263","date":"1992-06-08","url":"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/opinion\/1338701\/commonwealth-v-sluss\/","abstract":" .\u202f.\u202f. 419 S.E.2d 263 (1992) .\u202f.\u202f. ","court_html":"<abbr title=\"Court of Appeals\">COA<\/abbr>"},"1":{"name":"Herring v. Blankenship","case_number":"Civ. A. 86-0149-B","citation":"662 F. Supp. 557","date":"1987-05-29","url":"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/opinion\/1393013\/herring-v-blankenship\/","abstract":" .\u202f.\u202f. 662 F.Supp. 557 (1987) .\u202f.\u202f. ","court_html":"District Court, W.D. Virginia"}}},"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/18.2-437\/","history_text":"<p>The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 2 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1960, chapter 358; in 1975, chapters 14 and 15.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":1391239,"object_type":"law","relational_id":350960,"identifier":"18.2-437","token":"18.2\/10\/1\/18.2-437","url":"\/18.2-437\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/18.2-437\/","token":"18.2\/10\/1\/18.2-437","dublin_core":{"Title":"Immunity of witnesses","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 18.2-437","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section><p>No <span class=\"dictionary\">witness<\/span> called by the attorney for the Commonwealth, or by the <span class=\"dictionary\">court<\/span>, and required to give <span class=\"dictionary\">evidence<\/span> for the <span class=\"dictionary\">prosecution<\/span> in a proceeding under this article shall ever be proceeded against for the <span class=\"dictionary\">offense<\/span> concerning which he testified. Such <span class=\"dictionary\">witness<\/span> shall be compelled to testify and may be punished for <span class=\"dictionary\">contempt<\/span> for refusing to do so.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":"                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nIMMUNITY OF WITNESSES (\u00a7 18.2-437)\n\nNo witness called by the attorney for the Commonwealth, or by the court, and\nrequired to give evidence for the prosecution in a proceeding under this article\nshall ever be proceeded against for the offense concerning which he testified.\nSuch witness shall be compelled to testify and may be punished for contempt for\nrefusing to do so.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 18.1-277; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15.","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"}}