{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/8.01-191.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/8.01-191.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/8.01-191.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/8.01-191.html"}],"law_id":376880,"edition_id":2,"section_id":376880,"structure_id":53572,"section_number":"8.01-191","catch_line":"Construction of article","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 8-585; 1977, c. 617.","full_text":"This article is declared to be remedial. Its purpose is to afford relief from the uncertainty and insecurity attendant upon controversies over legal rights, without requiring one of the parties interested so to invade the rights asserted by the other as to entitle him to maintain an ordinary action therefor. It is to be liberally interpreted and administered with a view to making the courts more serviceable to the people.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1406893,"text":"This article is declared to be remedial. Its purpose is to afford relief from the uncertainty and insecurity attendant upon controversies over legal rights, without requiring one of the parties interested so to invade the rights asserted by the other as to entitle him to maintain an ordinary action therefor. It is to be liberally interpreted and administered with a view to making the courts more serviceable to the people.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":53572,"edition_id":2,"name":"Declaratory Judgments","identifier":"17","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":18,"parent_id":53562,"metadata":{"child_laws":9,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 03:18:44","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:28:13","permalink":{"id":1507099,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":53572,"identifier":"17","token":"8.01\/3\/17","url":"\/8.01\/3\/17\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":53562,"edition_id":2,"name":"Actions","identifier":"3","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":5,"parent_id":53558,"metadata":{"child_laws":357,"child_structures":31},"date_created":"2026-08-02 03:18:33","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:28:10","permalink":{"id":1506637,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":53562,"identifier":"3","token":"8.01\/3","url":"\/8.01\/3\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":53558,"edition_id":2,"name":"Civil Remedies and Procedure","identifier":"8.01","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":12,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":1095,"child_structures":142},"date_created":"2026-08-02 03:18:32","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:28:09","permalink":{"id":1504031,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":53558,"identifier":"8.01","token":"8.01","url":"\/8.01\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":376872,"structure_id":53572,"section_number":"8.01-184","catch_line":"Power to issue declaratory judgments","url":"\/8.01-184\/","token":"8.01\/3\/17\/8.01-184","metadata":false},{"id":376871,"structure_id":53572,"section_number":"8.01-184.1","catch_line":"Declaratory judgment to adjudicate constitutional nexus","url":"\/8.01-184.1\/","token":"8.01\/3\/17\/8.01-184.1","metadata":false},{"id":376873,"structure_id":53572,"section_number":"8.01-185","catch_line":"Venue","url":"\/8.01-185\/","token":"8.01\/3\/17\/8.01-185","metadata":false},{"id":376874,"structure_id":53572,"section_number":"8.01-186","catch_line":"Further relief","url":"\/8.01-186\/","token":"8.01\/3\/17\/8.01-186","metadata":false},{"id":376875,"structure_id":53572,"section_number":"8.01-187","catch_line":"Commissioners, condemnation jurors, or court to determine compensation for property taken or damaged","url":"\/8.01-187\/","token":"8.01\/3\/17\/8.01-187","metadata":false},{"id":376876,"structure_id":53572,"section_number":"8.01-188","catch_line":"Jury trial","url":"\/8.01-188\/","token":"8.01\/3\/17\/8.01-188","metadata":false},{"id":376877,"structure_id":53572,"section_number":"8.01-189","catch_line":"Injunction","url":"\/8.01-189\/","token":"8.01\/3\/17\/8.01-189","metadata":false},{"id":376879,"structure_id":53572,"section_number":"8.01-190","catch_line":"Costs","url":"\/8.01-190\/","token":"8.01\/3\/17\/8.01-190","metadata":false},{"id":376880,"structure_id":53572,"section_number":"8.01-191","catch_line":"Construction of article","url":"\/8.01-191\/","token":"8.01\/3\/17\/8.01-191","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":376879,"structure_id":53572,"section_number":"8.01-190","catch_line":"Costs","url":"\/8.01-190\/","token":"8.01\/3\/17\/8.01-190","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/8.01-191\/","history_text":"<p>The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 1 time. 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. That modification is as follows: in 1977, chapter 617.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":1507133,"object_type":"law","relational_id":376880,"identifier":"8.01-191","token":"8.01\/3\/17\/8.01-191","url":"\/8.01-191\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/8.01-191\/","token":"8.01\/3\/17\/8.01-191","dublin_core":{"Title":"Construction of article","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 8.01-191","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section><p>This article is declared to be remedial. Its purpose is to afford relief from the uncertainty and insecurity attendant upon controversies over legal rights, without requiring one of the parties interested so to invade the rights asserted by the other as to entitle him to maintain an ordinary <span class=\"dictionary\">action<\/span> therefor. It is to be liberally interpreted and administered with a view to making the <span class=\"dictionary\">courts<\/span> more serviceable to the people.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":"                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nCONSTRUCTION OF ARTICLE (\u00a7 8.01-191)\n\nThis article is declared to be remedial. Its purpose is to afford relief from\nthe uncertainty and insecurity attendant upon controversies over legal rights,\nwithout requiring one of the parties interested so to invade the rights asserted\nby the other as to entitle him to maintain an ordinary action therefor. It is to\nbe liberally interpreted and administered with a view to making the courts more\nserviceable to the people.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 8-585; 1977, c. 617.","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"}}