How many times can a court postpone your court date in Arkansas before they have to drop it ? They have postponed mine 3 times now. Officer in hospital

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How many times can a court postpone your court date in Arkansas before they have to drop it ? They have postponed mine 3 times now. Officer in hospital

Asked on April 20, 2009 under Criminal Law, Arkansas

Answers:

MD, Member, California Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 14 years ago | Contributor

Are you in fed court (fed crime) or state court (state crime)?  If state crime, here is your answer under the Speedy Trial Section of the Arkansas Rules of Criminal Procedure:

Article VIII. Speedy Trial

Rule 27 — The Trial Calendar

Rule 27.1. Priorities in scheduling criminal cases.

All courts of this state having jurisdiction of criminal offenses shall:

(a) except for extraordinary circumstances, give precedence to the trials of criminal felony offenses over other matters before said court; and

(b) in the absence of unusual or exceptional conditions requiring the expeditious trial of an accused person free on bail, or otherwise lawfully set at liberty, give precedence to the trials of those criminal offenses in which the accused person is incarcerated, whether such incarceration be for the offense awaiting trial or for conviction of another offense.

Rule 27.2. Assignment of cases.

The court shall control the trial calendar and shall provide for the scheduling of cases upon the calendar.

Rule 27.3. Continuances.

The court shall grant a continuance only upon a showing of good cause and only for so long as is necessary, taking into account not only the request or consent of the prosecuting attorney or defense counsel, but also the public interest in prompt disposition of the case.

Rule 28 — Limitations, Excluded Periods, and Consequences

Rule 28.1. Limitations and consequences.

(a) Any defendant charged with an offense in circuit court and incarcerated in a city or county jail in this state pending trial shall be released on his own recognizance if not brought to trial within nine (9) months from the time provided in Rule 28.2, excluding only such periods of necessary delay as are authorized in Rule 28.3.

(b) Any defendant charged with an offense in circuit court and incarcerated in prison in this state pursuant to conviction of another offense shall be entitled to have the charge dismissed with an absolute bar to prosecution if not brought to trial within twelve (12) months from the time provided in Rule 28.2, excluding only such periods of necessary delay as are authorized in Rule 28.3.

(c) Any defendant charged after October 1, 1987, in circuit court and held to bail, or otherwise lawfully set at liberty, including released from incarceration pursuant to subsection (a) hereof, shall be entitled to have the charge dismissed with an absolute bar to prosecution if not brought to trial within twelve (12) months from the time provided in Rule 28.2, excluding only such periods of necessary delay as are authorized in Rule 28.3.

(d) Motion for dismissal of a charge pursuant to subsection (b) or (c) hereof shall be made to the trial court, but if denied, may be presented to the Arkansas Supreme Court by petition for writ of prohibition.

(e) The dismissal of a charge pursuant to subsection (b) or (c) hereof shall also be an absolute bar to prosecution for any other offense required to be joined with the charge dismissed.

(f) Failure of a defendant to move for dismissal of a charge pursuant to subsection (b) or (c) hereof prior to a plea of guilty or trial shall constitute a waiver of his rights under these rules.

(g) This rule shall have no effect in those cases which are expressly governed by the "Interstate Agreement on Detainers Act" (Act 705 of 1971).

Rule 28.2. When time commences to run.

(a) The time for trial shall commence running from the date of arrest or service of summons.

(b) When the charge is dismissed upon motion of the defendant and subsequently the dismissed charge is reinstated, or the defendant is arrested or charged with the same offense, the time for trial shall commence running from the date the dismissed charge is reinstated or the defendant is subsequently arrested or charged, whichever is earlier; and when the charge is dismissed upon motion of the defendant and subsequently the charge is reinstated following an appeal, the time for trial shall commence running from the date the mandate is issued by the appellate court.

(c) If the defendant is to be retried following a mistrial, the time for trial shall commence running from the date of mistrial.

(d) If the defendant is to be retried following an order by the trial court granting a new trial, the time for trial shall commence running from the date of the order granting a new trial, unless the state appeals the order granting a new trial, in which case the time for trial shall commence running from the date the mandate is issued by the appellate court.

(e) If the defendant is to be retried following an appeal of a conviction, the time for trial shall commence running from the date the mandate is issued by the appellate court.

(f) If the defendant is to be retried following a collateral attack of a conviction, the time for trial shall commence running from the date of the order invalidating the conviction, unless the state appeals the order invalidating the conviction, in which case the time for trial shall commence running on the date of remand by the appellate court.

Reporter's Note 2002.

Prior to the amendment, subsection (c) applied to retrials following a mistrial, retrials following an order granting a new trial, retrials following an appeal, and retrials following a collateral attack. The amendments split these various proceedings into new separate subsections.

The amendments also change the rule regarding a retrial following an appeal of an order granting a new trial. Under new subsection (d), the time for retrial begins running when the appellate court returns the case to the trial court. This changes the rule applied, but not the result reached in Cherry v. State, 347 Ark. 606, 66 S.W. 3d 605 (2002)(time for retrial started running when the trial court entered order granting a new trial but the period during which the new trial order was on appeal treated as an excluded period under Ark. R. Crim. P. 28.3).

The amendments were not intended to change the rule that time for trial begins to run without demand by the defendant.

Reporter’s Note 2007.

Prior to the 2007 amendment, this rule provided that the time for trial began to run on the date the charge was filed, except when the defendant was held in custody or on bail prior to the filing of the charge, in which case the time for trial began to run on the date of arrest. The 2007 amendment changed the speedy trial start date to the date of arrest, whether the charge is filed before or after that date. The reference to “service of summons” applies to those cases in which the defendant is brought before the court via a summons, rather than an arrest. See Rule 6–Issuance of Summons in Lieu of Arrest Warrant.

The 2007 amendment applies to prosecutions initiated after the effective date of the amendment. If a person was charged with an offense before the effective date of the amendment, but arrested after the effective date of the amendment, the time for trial begins to run on the date the charge was filed.

Rule 28.3. Excluded periods.

The following periods shall be excluded in computing the time for trial. Such periods shall be set forth by the court in a written order or docket entry, but it shall not be necessary for the court to make the determination until the defendant has moved to enforce his right to a speedy trial pursuant to Rule 28 unless it is specifically provided to the contrary below. The number of days of the excluded period or periods shall be added to the time applicable to the defendant as set forth in Rules 28.1 and 28.2 to determine the limitations and consequences applicable to the defendant.

(a) The period of delay resulting from other proceedings concerning the defendant, including but not limited to an examination and hearing on the competency of the defendant and the period during which he is incompetent to stand trial, hearings on pretrial motions, interlocutory appeals, and trials of other charges against the defendant. No pretrial motion shall be held under advisement for more than thirty (30) days, and the period of time in excess of thirty (30) days during which any such motion is held under advisement shall not be considered an excluded period.

(b) The period of delay resulting from a continuance attributable to congestion of the trial docket if in a written order or docket entry at the time the continuance is granted:

(1) the court explains with particularity the reasons the trial docket does not permit trial on the date originally scheduled;

(2) the court determines that the delay will not prejudice the defendant; and

(3) the court schedules the trial on the next available date permitted by the trial docket.

(c) The period of delay resulting from a continuance granted at the request of the defendant or his counsel. All continuances granted at the request of the defendant or his counsel shall be to a day certain, and the period of delay shall be from the date the continuance is granted until such subsequentdate contained in the order or docket entry granting the continuance.

(d) The period of delay resulting from a continuance (calculated from the date the continuance is granted until the subsequent date contained in the order or docket entry granting the continuance) granted at the request of the prosecuting attorney, if:

(1) the continuance is granted because of the unavailability of evidence material to the state's case, when due diligence has been exercised to obtain such evidence and there are reasonable grounds to believe that such evidence will be available at a later date; or

(2) the continuance is granted in a felony case to allow the prosecuting attorney additional time to prepare the state's case and additional time is justified because of the exceptional complexity of the particular case.

(e) The period of delay resulting from the absence or unavailability of the defendant. A defendant shall be considered absent whenever his whereabouts are unknown. A defendant shall also be considered unavailable whenever his whereabouts are known but his presence for the trial cannot be obtained or he resists being returned to the state for trial.

(f) The time between a dismissal or nolle prosequi upon motion of the prosecuting attorney for good cause shown, and the time the charge is later filed for the same offense or an offense required to be joined with that offense.

(g) A reasonable period of delay when the defendant is joined for trial with a codefendant as to whom the time for trial has not run and there is good cause for not granting a severance. In all other cases the defendant acting with due diligence shall be granted a severance so that he may be tried within the time limits applicable to him.

(h) Other periods of delay for good cause.

Reporter's Notes to 1999 Amendments: Subsection (b) has been amended and subsection (i) has been moved to the opening paragraph. These changes have been made to address recurrent problems arising in cases. E.g., Hicks v. State, 305 Ark. 393, 808 S.W. 2d 348 (1991).

The opening paragraph was added which includes language formerly in subsection (i), but further provides that the trial court may determine the excluded periods when the defendant has moved for dismissal pursuant to Rule 28.1 rather than at an earlier date although the judge is still free to do so earlier. This finding is a determination of the excluded periods.

Subsection (b) was amended to make more practical a continuance granted because of congestion of the trial docket. The three-pronged finding was substituted for the previous standard which required a finding of "exceptional circumstances." This requirement of the entry of a contemporaneous written order explaining the reasons for the continuance, finding that the defendant is not prejudiced, and scheduling a new trial date is in addition to the finding required as to the periods to be excluded. Typically, the period to be excluded under subsection (b) will be from the date on which the trial was scheduled as specified in (b)(1) to the rescheduled date as specified in (b)(3).

 

 

 


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