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What Is the Court Process for Domestic Violence?
Judge Megan Goldish serves the bench at the Domestic Violence Court at the Circuit Court of Cook County in Chicago, Illinois. Judge Megan Goldish has more than 20 years of experience in the legal field. She mainly presides over civil and criminal domestic violence cases.
People accused of committing domestic violence have to appear before the court after an arrest, to have their bonds set, and any conditions of their bond will be imposed at this hearing. If charged with a felony, the next step in a domestic violence case after a bond hearing, is an arraignment. It indicates the beginning of the legal process against the accused. The accused can enter a formal plea of guilty or not guilty and change it later in the proceedings.
The next step of the legal process is a pre-trial/preliminary hearing. The lawyer goes through the case facts and analyzes various case factors for negotiations to begin. If both parties agree, they can settle the case at a pre-trial date.
The case may go to a motion hearing after the pre-trial hearing. Not all cases go to a motion hearing. A motion hearing is held to determine some issues, including whether the accused’s statements are admissible, did the police violate the defendant’s Miranda rights, and should evidence of other incidents be admitted, and ensure that the prosecution provides the defense any evidence that tends to prove or disprove the defendant’s guilt. Subsequently, the case will either be set for a plea or a trial. .
The defendant has the right to be tried before a judge instead of a jury. In a jury, if the verdict is a guilty verdict, it must be a unanimous decision, meaning that every juror has to agree on whether the defendant is guilty. If jurors cannot come to a decision on guilty or not guilty, the case is declared a mistrial, and the prosecution will decide whether the case will be retried.
Judge Megan Goldish 