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Going to Trial
If you enter a Not Guilty plea and have indicated the type of trial you wish, you must keep the Court informed of your current mailing address to assure your notification of your trial date. You will be notified within three weeks of your trial date. Requests for continuances must be made in writing no less than five (5) working days prior to the trial date. If you have witnesses that must be subpoenaed, you will need to provide the Court with a list of witnesses, their addresses and telephone numbers, to the Clerk at least (10) working days prior to trial date. There is a fee for subpoenaing witnesses.
Preliminary hearings will be held on the Thursday approximately two to three weeks prior to your trial date. Call the Court for the exact date. Pretrial hearings are held at 1:30 p.m. in the Bridge City Municipal Court.
At trial, you may bring your own attorney or you may act as your own attorney. You will be able to ask questions of the officer and State witnesses and the Prosecutor will be able to question your witnesses. The State will first present their case and then you will present yours. It is best to have a list of questions prepared. You can testify on your behalf, but are not required to do so and it will not be held against you.
Bench Trials
A bench trial is one where the judge hears the evidence presented and makes a ruling.
The Judge will then assess your punishment.
Bench trials are scheduled every other month. They will follow the Jury trials. |
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Jury Trials
A jury trial is one where a panel of 6 jurors will preside over your case. They will hear the case and determine the verdict. At your request, they will assess your punishment; otherwise, the Judge will assess your punishment.
Jury trials are scheduled every other month. They are heard prior the bench trials. |
PRE-TRIAL CRIMINAL COURT DOCKET
TUESDAY,
NAME CHARGE CITATION # ATTORNEY
Your Right to Appeal
You have the right to appeal the conviction of any charge filed in this Court. You must do so within ten (10) days of the verdict. If it is received after the tenth day, it will have to be approved by the Judge. A Motion to Appeal must be filed with the Bridge City Municipal Court. An appeal bond must be filed in the County Court at Law. Once an appeal has been filed, this Court relinquishes jurisdiction.
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