Defendant's Rights

Every defendant facing jail time has a right to be represented by an attorney. If a defendant can not afford an attorney, the Municipal Court has a process which may be completed to determine if a defendant would qualify for a Public Defender. In order to complete the process, the court requires that the applicant provide proof of income. The court reserves the right to deny an application.

Every defendant has a right to a trial. The trial is a bench trial; meaning it is tried before a Judge, not a jury. If you plead not guilty, your case will be set over for a trial date. If you are found guilty, you have 14 days to appeal your case(s) to Circuit Court. The process will be explained to you in Court.