Environment
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
StateVirginiaIntroduced
HB 1485: Court of Appeals of Virginia; maximum number of judges, summary disposition of certain civil cases.
Patrick Hope
HB 1485 status: Introduced — Continued from last session (updated Jul 21, 2026).
Source
OpenStates
Confidence
Low
Analysis basis
OpenStates summary
01
What this bill does
Official summary alongside an AI-generated read on where it stands and why.
Overall Score
60OUT OF 100
Score:60/100 civic fit
Risk:Moderate Risk
Impact:Moderate Impact 60/100
Constitutionality90%
Bipartisan50%
Public opinion50%
Bill summary
Maximum number of judges on the Court of Appeals of Virginia; hearings en banc; summary disposition of certain civil cases. Increases from 17 to 21 the maximum number of authorized judges on the Court of Appeals of Virginia. The bill provides that the Supreme Court of Virginia shall prescribe by rule the number of judges needed for the Court of Appeals to sit en banc, and that such number shall not be fewer than 13 judges. Additionally, the bill permits the Court of Appeals to summarily affirm the decision below in certain civil cases.
02
Impact analysis
✦ AI analysisModeled effects across six domains, estimated from bill text and comparable legislation.
Economy
Mixed / Neutral
55%
Benefits
- Increases judicial capacity to handle case backlogs
- Potentially improves business certainty via faster appeals
- Allocates resources to manage appellate workload
Risks
- Requires additional state budgetary appropriations
- Increases ongoing payroll and benefit obligations
- Potential for administrative cost inflation
Society
Positive outlook
60%
Benefits
- Reduces time-to-justice for appellate litigants
- Expands judicial availability for the public
- Enables faster resolution of civil disputes
Risks
- Summary disposition may limit full judicial scrutiny
- Reduced depth of review for certain civil appeals
- Potential for inconsistent judicial outcomes
Technology Industry
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
Civic Accountability
Positive outlook
65%
Benefits
- Explicitly mandates en banc panel size requirements
- Clarifies the Supreme Court of Virginia's rule-making role
- Defines procedural parameters for summary disposition
Risks
- Reduced transparency in summary-disposed cases
- Limits public debate on specific civil appeals
- Potential for executive/legislative overreach in court sizing
Public Health & Safety
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
03
How trustworthy & consequential it is
Sourcing already shown above, this is what the analysis found worth flagging.
Source
OpenStates
Official bill text or data from OpenStates.
Confidence
Low
Information is limited or incomplete.
Analysis basis
OpenStates summary
Source used for this bill's analysis.
Source note
Summary disposition procedures may bypass thorough judicial review for certain cases.
Analysis scope
Analysis based on bill abstract only; full text not provided.
04
Where it stands
Official record- IntroducedCurrent
- CommitteeUpcoming
- Chamber votesUpcoming
- Final agreementUpcoming
- GovernorUpcoming
- EnactedUpcoming
05
How it affects your district
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06
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