 Since 1971 , the government has functioned under the seventh Constitution of Virginia , which provides for a strong legislature and a unified judicial system . Similar to the federal structure , the government is divided in three branches : legislative , executive , and judicial . The legislature is the General Assembly , a bicameral body whose 100 @-@ member House of Delegates and 40 @-@ member Senate write the laws for the Commonwealth . The Assembly is stronger than the executive , as it selects judges and justices . The Governor and Lieutenant Governor are elected every four years in separate elections . Incumbent governors cannot run for re @-@ election , however the Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General can , and governors may serve non @-@ consecutive terms . The judicial system , the oldest in America , consists of a hierarchy from the Supreme Court of Virginia and the Court of Appeals of Virginia to the Circuit Courts , the trial courts of general jurisdiction , and the lower General District Courts and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Courts . 
