Order of Hearings

E.  Order of hearings

Terms are defined above.  These short lists give the order in which hearings are conducted.

1.      Felony

With few exceptions, the defendant must be present for all felony proceedings.

Court proceedings in Felony cases generally proceed as follows:

  1. Arraignment on the Complaint
  2. Conference (may be called Pre-Preliminary Hearing, Preliminary Hearing Setting Conference, Scheduling Conference, etc. This step may repeat many times.)
  3. Preliminary Hearing
  4. Arraignment on the Information
  5. Pretrial Motions (this step may repeat many times)
  6. Readiness Conference (this step may repeat many times)
  7. Trial
  8. Sentencing

2.     Misdemeanor

For some misdemeanor proceedings, the attorney may be allowed to appear without the defendant being present.

Court proceedings in Misdemeanor cases generally proceed as follows:

  1. Arraignment on the Complaint
  2. Pretrial Motions (this step may repeat many times)
  3. Pretrial Conference (this step may repeat many times)
  4. Trial
  5. Sentencing