Required
telephone For A Free Consultation Call (301) 761-4842

Maryland DUI Case Process

An individual preparing for a Maryland DUI court date should contact a distinguished DUI attorney to discuss all of the evidence and information. A Maryland DUI attorney can help you develop a game plan for addressing the charges, including preparing presentations, reviewing evidence, identifying witnesses, and deciding whether to testify at the scheduled court date.

DUI Court Dates

In Maryland, information about the court date for driving under the influence is usually mailed to the individual and their attorney. There is a Maryland Judiciary Case Search website where anyone can enter their first and last name to see the date the matter is scheduled to be heard and additional information like location, courtroom number, and time.
People can change their court date in Maryland for any good cause that is shown to the court by the individual and their attorney. That cause could be something as simple as a scheduling conflict or something serious like a medical condition that requires the individual’s attention.

Court Appearances

For must-appear charges, a lawyer can be there to represent their client’s interests but cannot, constitutionally enter into disposition decisions on the client’s behalf. Failing to appear in court for impaired driving charges in Maryland results in a bench warrant for an arrest when a person does not have a valid reason to miss their court date.

For example, a plea of guilty where an individual is going to trial generally cannot be done without the person being present on the court date so the judge has an opportunity to ask questions regarding their decision-making. 

An individual from another state can speak with their attorney about the inconveniences of travel to court on a particular date and can assist that attorney in filing the appropriate request with the court to get the date changed.

Consequences of Missing a Court Date 

When somebody misses a court date, they tend to have more issues whether it is somebody who is in-state or out-of-state. There is a larger issue when someone is picked up on the warrant. If a person is picked up on the warrant in Maryland, they can go before a court commissioner, magistrate, or judge within a day or so to have a bond review and conditions of release explained to them.

When someone is from another state, out-of-state judges usually do not have authority over Maryland warrants. When an individual is served the warrant out of state for failure to appear in court, they could be extradited to Maryland in many circumstances and be held by that state until Maryland brings them back to have their warrant issue resolved.  This could take anywhere from a couple of days to several weeks. The person’s liberty is taken away while they are being transported to Maryland to resolve their matter.

Case Expectations

Someone charged with driving under the influence should expect that the case is heard on a docket like other similar cases. Sometimes, DUI cases can take an entire day to go through the court system in Maryland.

Additionally, an individual can expect that many decisions are made on the day of court because the court resolution depends on witnesses who come to court and what they tell the defense attorney. An experienced DUI attorney will have an understanding of how much advanced planning and decision-making that takes place for impaired driving cases on and before their court date.

GET IN TOUCH WITH OUR
MARYLAND CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEYS