Posted by duijim in on February 11, 2021
Atlanta GA DUI Court Processes
Many people who are charged for DUI in Atlanta Georgia for the first time, don’t have the idea of the DUI Court Process. A huge number of drivers who have been charged worry about the process, because they know that this process is pretty complicated, giving that it requires that the driver should appear in court several times. For all of you who are not too familiar with this process, we will give you a deeper explanation so you can know what to expect.
Atlanta, Georgia DUI Court Process, as we already mentioned, requires not one, but a few hearings. But, you don’t need to worry, because according to the law, you don’t need to appear on every single hearing. Instead of wasting your time, you can hire a lawyer who can represent you, and your lawyer can go to the hearings, instead of you. That means that you can pass through this whole court process without interrupting your personal life.
When we talk about the court process, we should mention that when you are placed under arrest, you can expect to get the schedule for the appearance on the court in the next 24-48 hours. This short period of two days, after you have been arrested is the period when you will get the information from the court, regarding your future hearings. But, if you have been arrested from Thursday evening till Sunday evening, you should know that you will not be scheduled until the Monday of the following week. But, if you have been arrested from Monday morning till Thursday morning, you can expect the schedule in the next 48 hours.
The first appearance will occur in Courtroom 5A, and the purpose of this first appearance is to convince the judge (the Honorable Judge Christopher Ward) that you are aware of all of the charges brought against you.
In case that you show up without a lawyer, the judge will advise you to find one. In case you’ve already hired a lawyer, you don’t even need to show up at the court, your lawyer can do that instead of you.
After two weeks from being arrested, it is time for the next hearing (Status Hearing) where your lawyer will show all of the evidence for your defense- videos, test results, reports from the police, etc. You don’t have the obligation to show up at this hearing.
After a month from being arrested, it is time for another hearing (Inquiry Hearing) where the judge will ask both parties how the case is progressing.
After two months from being arrested, it is time for the Final Plea where the judge is going to ask if the defendant has agreed to a plea deal with the prosecuting attorneys. There and then, the jury is going to determine are you guilty or free of charge.
After six months from being arrested, if you have not made a plea agreement, the final decision is going to be made during the last proceeding- the Bench or Jury Trial.