Translate
The criminal justice process - Pre-trial hearings
During the pre-trial phase of the process, the court will set hearings to track the case and check in with the attorneys regarding their readiness to go to trial or resolve by a plea. These hearings are called omnibus hearings.
Once the defendant has been arraigned, the court will set a series of pretrial, omnibus, or status hearings to monitor the readiness for the case to go to a trial or resolve. These are short check-in hearings on long calendars with hundreds of cases. In some instances, defendants will only be represented by their attorney and are not required to be present. It is very common for a case to have several omnibus hearings, ending with the court setting a new date for omnibus and trial, before the trial date is confirmed.
Crime Victims
Many share that during this time it may seem like nothing is happening. Frequently, omnibus hearings are continued multiple times before it is determined if a case is going to trial or will resolve by a plea. If you have questions during this time, please contact our office or reach out to your advocate.