Provo Criminal Defense Lawyer Protecting Your Rights in Justice Court
In a report on KSL tonight, the Utah Justice Court system is questioned. The report suggests that some justice courts are more interested in collecting money for the municipality than providing a means of justice.
You can watch the video report and read the written report here.
Justice Courts are certainly money machines for cities and counties and in our experience they do sometimes act outside of constitutional and statutory bounds, but for the most part justice court judges are concerned about protecting the rights of the accused. Unfortunately, there are a few bad apples which give the entire system a bad rap.
De Novo Appeal as a Matter of Right
Fortunately, if a Justice Court acts inappropriately you have a right to appeal de novo. What this means is that if you do not like the result of your case you simply appeal it to the District Court and you can start over. When you appeal to the District Court you can have a new trial and a new jury. Anything and everything that happened in the Justice Court simply goes away as though it never occurred.
Making a Record in Justice Court
The KSL report suggests that one remedy to the problems associated with Justice Court is to put a recorder in every Justice Court so that everything the judge says is digitally recorded. This will force judges to keep themselves in check and to make sure that everything they do is legal. This has probably not occurred yet because of the right to a de novo appeal.
Protecting the Rights of Justice Court Defendants
If you are facing a DUI, drug charges, or other offense in Justice Court it is best that you have an attorney to protect your rights. The law firm of Provo Criminal Defense will protect you and if the Justice Court does anything improper we will appeal to the District Court to make sure that wrong is remedied. Call us anytime at 801.800.8246.
