Determine Your Court Date. State law also requires a mandatory court appearance within one court-day after your DUI arrest. In cases where the driver was not allowed to get out of jail within the first 8 to 12 hours, this court hearing usually occurs inside the jail. For those who do get released, the court hearing may be held at 9:45 AM the next morning or at 2:30 PM that afternoon.
Schedule a Free Consultation. The Lustick, Kaiman & Madrone team offers free one-hour consultations where we analyze your case and give you legal strategies for success.
Attending the First Court Hearing. As part of our free consultation, we will defend you at the first appearance hearing on all cases of DUI, traffic offenses, and any criminal case. Never go to court alone. Although this is just a first appearance or an arraignment hearing, you can lose important rights and your freedom can be restricted. At a typical first appearance hearing for a DUI charge, the court will:
- Review the reasons that the police had for arresting you;
- Consider what restrictions they may place on you before trial, including prohibiting you from consuming intoxicants, restricting your entry into bars and/or taking away your ability to drive without restrictions;
- Impose more bail or perhaps refund any bail that you have already paid; or
- Place you on a pre-trial probation (formally known as pre-trial monitoring).