Dealing with a criminal charge is already a confusing, daunting, and stressful time for defendants and their loved ones. The current pandemic crisis is now throwing extra challenges at those accused of crimes in Texas and across the country. Court systems around the country are taking unprecedented steps to prevent the spreading of the coronavirus and promote social distancing.
What are Texas Courts Doing?
The Supreme Court of Texas has issued a series of orders allowing Texas courts to temporarily suspend trials and non-emergency court proceedings and to hold proceedings remotely in order to protect court staff and the public from the coronavirus.
The Supreme Court has largely left individual counties to figure out how they want to tackle the coronavirus issue in their courts. For the most part, routine criminal court settings are being “reset” to dates that are at least a month down the road, if not longer. If there are emergencies that need to be heard by a judge, each county has its own instructions on how it will handle these cases.
What Should I Do?
The pandemic crisis is one that is constantly changing. The best thing to do is to regularly check in with your attorney for any changes to your next setting. Your attorney may even recommend changes in your defense strategy to reflect the new reality that courts will face in the coming months. If you do not have an attorney, you can check your court’s website for updates and call your court’s clerk or coordinator if you have any doubts.
Hire an Experienced Austin Criminal Defense Attorney
In times like this, it is crucial to have someone on your side who is familiar with the courts and judges of your county. The team at Stephen T. Bowling & Associates is intimately familiar with the criminal courts in Travis, Williamson, and Hays counties and are here to help you navigate the confusion. For more information about the services we provide and how we can help you, call us today.
written by Alexis Guadarrama
