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up the alleged criminal offense. Relatedly, the filing enumerates the criminal law(s) that the defendant allegedly violated. Finally, the defendant is scheduled for an arraignment which is when the charge is formally and openly presented. If the defendant pleads not guilty at the arraignment, the court schedules a preliminary hearing.
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at which the charges are formally presented to the defendant. Several procedures must be done before the arraignment can happen. For example, in most states, the prosecutor first files an “information” document with the court. This filing describes the basic elements (the facts or factors) that make
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A preliminary hearing is not always required, and some jurisdictions do not require it. Some states hold preliminary hearings in every serious criminal case. Other states only have a preliminary hearing if the defense requests it; Alternatively, some states only have them for felony cases.
231:. At grand jury proceedings, the defendant is not entitled to have counsel present in the grand jury room (although witnesses may consult with counsel outside of the presence of the grand jury). In some cases, the defendant may not even know that a grand jury is considering the case.
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in some jurisdictions) will be issued, and the prosecution will continue. If the court does not find probable cause, then typically the prosecution will cease. Many jurisdictions, however, allow the prosecution to seek a new preliminary hearing or to seek a bill of indictment from a
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The conduct of the preliminary hearing as well as the specific rules regarding the admissibility of evidence vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Hearsay is typically allowed. If the court decides that there is probable cause, a formal charging instrument (called the
86:, a preliminary hearing is sometimes referred to as a preliminary inquiry. During the preliminary inquiry, a hearing is held by the court to determine if there is enough evidence to justify a trial. Preliminary inquiries are only held when a person is charged with an
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or after an arrest when the defendant is first brought to court, the arraignment may be referred to as an "initial hearing", or "preliminary arraignment", which is different from a preliminary hearing. Those other hearings are not probable cause hearings.
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130:, conducted to enable the court to determine whether both parties, the prosecution and the defence, are ready to proceed to trial. The hearing may also address ancillary procedural matters.
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If a judge determines that there is sufficient evidence to believe that the defendant committed the crime, then it is said that the defendant is "bound over".
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As a preliminary hearing is a "critical stage" of the proceeding, an indigent suspect is entitled to court-appointed counsel at the preliminary hearing. See
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to believe that the crime was committed and that the crime was committed by the defendant. There is a right to counsel at the preliminary hearing.
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imposed time limits on the Crown to bring criminal cases to trial, the Crown has started to use the
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Is there probable cause to believe the alleged crime occurred, and did it occur within the court's
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Where an indictment is obtained through means other than an information document, such as through
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547:"Pennsylvania Code, Title 234, Rule 542. Preliminary Hearing. Continuances"
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Is there probable cause to believe that the defendant committed the crime?
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under federal law, the defendant has the right to an indictment by a
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574:"Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure , Rule 5: Preliminary Hearing"
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The key questions normally addressed at a preliminary hearing are:
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Arbitrary
Justice: The Power of the American Prosecutor
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297:"Courts scramble under new rules on trial delays"
185:In criminal prosecutions, the court schedules an
643:"The Presence of Counsel in the Grand Jury Room"
27:Type of legal proceeding that precedes a trial
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415:Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan
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475:Greene County Prosecuting Attorney's Office
314:Matthews, Lord; Beckett, Lord (July 2020).
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215:If the defendant is charged with a
54:is a proceeding, after a criminal
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1003:Evidence law in the United States
340:Arenella, Peter (February 1980).
321:. Judicial Institute for Scotland
316:"Preliminary Hearings Bench Book"
1077:United States criminal procedure
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602:Powell, Lloyd E. (March 2006).
496:"Initial Hearing / Arraignment"
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109:procedure more frequently.
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604:"Preliminary Examinations"
411:"Steps In a Criminal Case"
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66:. At such a hearing, the
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103:Supreme Court of Canada
40:preliminary examination
914:Statute of limitations
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58:has been filed by the
52:probable cause hearing
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852:Criminal jurisdiction
641:Fenster, Jay (1979).
551:The Pennsylvania Code
471:"How A Case Proceeds"
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829:Criminal prosecution
769:Reasonable suspicion
744:Exigent circumstance
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600:see, e.g.,
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211:Federal law
187:arraignment
181:Terminology
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1036:WikiSource
1021:Wiktionary
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875:Grand jury
818:Law portal
799:Terry stop
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