Submission of any claim or controversy to arbitration pursuant to such agreement shall be a condition precedent to institution of suit or action thereon. An appeal may be taken from: 1.An order denying an application to compel arbitration made under § 8.01-581.02; 2. The short answer is that it depends on whether the enforcement action is in federal or state court and the state law governing the parties' agreement. Under Federal Arbitration Act (6-574-8707). 6 Instead, Alabama common law can be used to supplement the grounds set forth in the FAA. A Practice Note explaining how to enforce arbitral awards in Virginia state and federal courts. At the very least, the court can actually enforce an arbitration award, whereas the arbitrator cannot. "Therefore, a circuit court's denial of an application to vacate an arbitration award under the Act presents a. "a federal court may only review an arbitral decision on the grounds set forth in the Federal Arbitration Act.