When arrested in Chatham County, Georgia, your first court appearance is at the arraignment. At the arraignment, the judge will read out the charges filed against you in the complaint and you have to plead “guilty,” “not guilty” or “no contest” to those charges. The judge will also review your bail and fix dates for further hearings. A preliminary hearing, or preliminary examination, is the adversarial proceeding in which attorneys examine witnesses and both parties make arguments. The judge then makes the ultimate finding of probable cause. In a grand jury, the jury hears only from the prosecutor. The grand jury can call their own witnesses and request that further investigations be performed. The grand jury then decides whether enough proof has been presented to indict the defendant. On conviction, you generally have the right to appeal. A seasoned Chatham County, Georgia criminal appeal law firm will request the higher court to overturn the trial court’s decision based on legal or procedural mistakes. The judges on appeal are looking for errors which may have changed the decision. In a appeal, you submit written “briefs” to the appellate court, along with a copy of the trial court transcript and any exhibits that were produced at trial. Oral arguments may be scheduled. Arguments are generally very short in duration, and are academic in nature, focusing on legal issues. In an appeal, the higher court looks for mistakes in the verdict of the trial court. If the higher court finds mistakes in the trial court’s decision, the appeal court can direct a re-trial or set aside the conviction.
————————-Savannah GA DUI Lawyer – Georgia Criminal Defense Attorney
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