If you need to postpone a court date, call or visit the clerk's office of the court handling your case as soon as possible and explain why you can't attend the scheduled date. If the clerk considers your grounds reasonable, they will tell you which forms or motions you need to file with the court.
Perhaps the most common reason for a continuance is when one side did not have enough time to investigate the case and analyze the evidence. Many defense attorneys, especially public defenders, can move only so quickly because they are representing many clients.Oct 18, 2021
Generally, you must ask the court in writing to give you a continuance. This means filing a pleading or some other written statement in court asking for a continuance.Sep 13, 2017
Evidence, such as a statement, tending to excuse, justify, or absolve the alleged fault or guilt of a defendant.
It is generally best to ask for a continuance before the day of the hearing, if possible.
If the court does not give you a continuance, then your hearing will go on as scheduled. You should make every effort to be in court for your hearing. If you are not in court for a scheduled hearing, the court can still issue orders.
The court does not have to give you a continuance; it will be up to the court to decide whether or not to give you a continuance. Some courts might have local rules that apply to requests for continuance; you can check with the court where your hearing is scheduled to see if there are any local rules that you need to know about.
If the reason you wish to delay a trial is related to the trial, the court is likely to view it as justified. For example, if your eye witness won't be back in the country until July and your court date is June, a request for a delay sounds very reasonable. Likewise, if the other side just turned over evidence to you that requires you to hire and consult with a new expert, the postponement is in the interests of justice and might be readily granted.
Reasons to Postpone a Court Date. Court dates are often set by the clerk without consideration for individual schedules, which means that your court matter may be scheduled when you have something else planned. Changing a trial date or other hearing date is left to the sound discretion of the court. Obviously, you don't want to seek ...
The best way to get a new date for a court hearing is to ask for it as soon as possible. The further away the current date is, the more likely it is that the court will make room for you. If you ask the court two days before the hearing for a new date and it wasn't an emergency, you might have a problem. If you receive a notice of hearing six months in advance and you know you won't be available that day contact the court right away, and you'll probably get the date moved.
If the justification is reasonable, related to trial preparation, your health or that of a family member, or a matter of some importance scheduled before the court date was set, the judge will likely have no problem with a request for postponement.
If you decided to get married, purchased tickets for an overseas vacation, or signed up to take the state bar exam before you knew the court date, your motion to postpone the trial will likely be granted.
Changing a trial date or other hearing date is left to the sound discretion of the court. Obviously, you don't want to seek a change of court date for unimportant reasons, such as keeping a haircut appointment, but if it's open-heart surgery, go ahead and request a postponement.
The caption of your motion will look the same as the caption in other documents filed in your case, so you can use those as a guide. Title your motion. The title of the motion tells the court what the document is. If you haven't been able to find a form, you should type out the title below the caption.
Some courts may hold motions for a period of time to allow all parties to respond. For example, New Hampshire courts hold motions for 10 days. If such a rule exists in your jurisdiction, you must file a motion to continue far enough in advance of the original court date to allow for that hold period.
If the judge grants your motion, your court date will be postponed to a later time. Because courts generally prefer to resolve cases as quickly as possible, judges typically disfavor these motions unless you have a good reason.
If you haven't been able to find a form, you should type out the title below the caption. A Motion to Continue can also be referred to as a Request for Continuance. You can look at other motions filed in your court to determine which style is preferred.
1. Consider talking to the other side first. Although you don't have to get the other side 's permission to change the court date, the judge may be more likely to grant your request if both parties to the lawsuit agree to change it. In some jurisdictions, agreed or assented motions do not require any hold before the judge rules on them.
Sign your motion. Once you've finished drafting your motion, you must sign it before you file it with the clerk. It may be necessary to sign your motion in front of a notary public. If you've attached an affidavit, the affidavit must be signed in front of a notary to authenticate your signature.
Jennifer Mueller is an in-house legal expert at wikiHow. Jennifer reviews, fact-checks, and evaluates wikiHow's legal content to ensure thoroughness and accuracy. She received her JD from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2006. This article has been viewed 17,307 times.
Questions for Your Attorney 1 I’ve waived time and need more time to prepare my case. What do I have to tell the judge to get the trial date pushed back? 2 If the prosecutor asks for a continuance and gets it, can I challenge the delay by filing a writ in the appellate court? 3 I’d like to hire new counsel because I think the one I have is not doing a good job. What do I have to tell the judge to get time for finding a new lawyer?
If the defendant needs to find another lawyer, a court could also give the defendant a reasonable amount of time to secure a new attorney. To deal with adverse pretrial publicity. Occasionally, defendants will ask for a continuance on the grounds of prejudicial publicity.
To prepare for trial. States typically provide defendants with a minimum amount of time between entering the plea and going to trial. But a defendant has a right to adequately prepare defense (which includes the right of counsel to prepare).
Speedy Trial Rights and Requirements. For the reasons above, speedy trials are required by statute in most states, which set “speedy trial” windows. Defendants can give up these speedy trial protections by “waiving time,” but even when they do, continuances are explicitly disfavored. In spite of this general approach, ...
In spite of this general approach, both the defense and the prosecution in a criminal case (and the court, on its own motion) may ask for and obtain a continuance, beginning with the defendant’s first appearance, which is typically the arraignment (where the defendant is appraised of the charges and asked how he wishes to plead).
Typical Reasons Why Defendants Ask for Continuances. Judges are often asked to continue a hearing or a trial for these reasons: At the arraignment, to secure counsel. An arrestee’s first court appearance is often the arraignment, when the judge reads the charges and asks for a plea.
Criminal cases must be heard and determined “at the earliest possible time,” and the proceedings expedited “to the greatest degree consistent with the ends of justice.” (Cal. Penal Code § 1050 (a).) California Rules of Court, Rule 4.113 states that motions to continue criminal trials are downright “disfavored.”.
Use the Expungement for Non Conviction forms if: 1 You want to expunge an arrest, criminal charge, or juvenile delinquency allegation from your record, and 2 The arrest did not lead to a conviction. This means there was a finding of ‘not guilty’, the entire case has been dismissed, or the entire case has been vacated on appeal, and 3 The arrest is at least one year old, and 4 There are no charges currently pending against you, and 5 You are not participating in a pretrial diversion program.
The arrest did not lead to a conviction. This means there was a finding of ‘not guilty’, the entire case has been dismissed, or the entire case has been vacated on appeal, and. You are not participating in a pretrial diversion program.