If arrested in Liberty County, Georgia, your first court appearance is at the arraignment. During 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 future proceedings. A preliminary hearing, or preliminary examination, is an adversarial hearing in which attorneys questions witnesses and both parties make arguments. The judge then makes the final 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 done. The grand jury then determines if enough proof has been presented to indict the defendant. On conviction, you usually have the right to appeal. A seasoned Liberty County, Georgia criminal appeal law firm will ask the higher court to overrule the trial court’s decision due to legal or procedural mistakes. The appeal court judges 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 used at trial. Oral arguments may be scheduled. Arguments are generally very short in duration, and are academic in nature, discussing legal issues. In an appeal, the higher court looks for errors in the verdict of the trial court. If the higher court finds mistakes in the trial court’s verdict, the appeal court may order a re-trial or set aside the conviction.
————————-Savannah GA DUI Lawyer – Georgia Criminal Defense Attorney
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