VA HB687

Criminal complaints accompanying warrants, summonses, or capiases may be temporarily sealed for a specific period by a court upon application from the Commonwealth's Attorney with good cause shown in an ex parte hearing

Individuals who are arrested or served with a sealed warrant, summons, or capias may petition the court to unseal the accompanying complaint

The Commonwealth bears the burden of proof when seeking to maintain continued sealing of a complaint after a defendant challenges it

The bill amends four sections of the Virginia Code (§§ 19.2-72, 19.2-74, 19.2-76, and 19.2-76.2) to add identical temporary sealing provisions across different types of criminal process documents