If arrested in Savannah, GA, 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 determine your bail and set dates for future hearings. A preliminary hearing, or preliminary examination, is an adversarial hearing in which attorneys questions witnesses and both parties make arguments. The judge then determines 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 performed. The grand jury then decides if sufficient proof has been presented to indict the defendant. If you have been convicted, you usually can appeal. A seasoned Savannah, GA criminal appeal law firm will ask the higher court to overturn the trial court’s decision based on legal or procedural mistakes. The appeal court judges are looking for errors which might have changed the verdict. In a appeal, you submit written “briefs” to the court, together 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, discussing legal issues. In an appeal, the higher court looks for mistakes in the decision of the trial court. If the higher court finds errors in the trial court’s decision, the appeal court can order a re-trial or set aside the conviction.
————————-Savannah GA DUI Lawyer – Georgia Criminal Defense Attorney
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