The primary function of the Supreme Court of Virginia is to review decisions of lower courts, the Circuit Courts and the Court of Appeals, from which appeals have been allowed. It possesses both original and appellate jurisdiction.
The Court's original jurisdiction is limited to cases of habeas corpus (ordering one holding custody to produce the detained person before the Court for the purpose of determining whether such custody is proper), mandamus (ordering the holder of an office to perform his duty), prohibition (ordering an action stopped in a lower court), and writs of actual innocence (based on the results of scientific testing of biological evidence).
The Supreme Court also has original jurisdiction in matters filed by the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission relating to judicial censure, retirement, and removal of judges.
The Supreme Court is required by law to hear certain cases as a “matter of right,” such as cases involving the State Corporation Commission, the disbarment of an attorney, and the death penalty.