Court cases follow a set of strict procedures to guarantee a fair trial to both the plaintiff party and the defendant party. Court procedures ensure that a decision is not reached based on the emotions that the case may cause in either the judge or jury. Instead, the court procedures respect both parties’ rights while the plaintiff’s and defendant’s attorneys plead their cases so that a decision is reached based on the facts of the case. This article will outline the court procedures for a criminal case.
In Texas, a criminal court hearing begins when the case is filed in the correct court. Which court a case should be filed in depends on the nature of the crime. For minor offenses where a conviction would not lead to jail time, the case needs to be filed in the municipal court. If the case in question is a felony charge, the case needs to be filed in the district court.
Once the case has been filed with the correct court, the next step is processing. If the offender is imprisoned, the first step of processing is to find an attorney to appeal for bail. Then the process moves on to the arraignment, where both sides of the case are presented and the actual trial is scheduled. The defendant also chooses whether the case will be decided by the judge or the jury. Finally, there is the trial. During the trial, evidence is presented from both the defendant and the plaintiff. The judge or jury makes a decision based on the evidence, and they issue a verdict. If the verdict is guilty, then the judge issues a sentence or penalties to the defendant.
In short, the procedures that criminal trials follow in Texas are similar to those in other states. Some details may vary depending on the differences in criminal law, but they will be minor variances. If you are arrested and face a criminal trial, it is in your best interest to hire a lawyer, since they will be familiar with law in Texas.