How do I find court records in PA?

How do I find court records in PA?

Search and view individual court case information (including docket sheets)—for free—please go to the UJS web portal. Search, view and print Unified Judicial System (UJS) contract summaries, detailed expenditure data, monthly salary and annual compensation reports.

What does plea court mean?

nolo contendere

What comes after a preliminary hearing?

After a preliminary hearing, prosecutors and defense attorneys sometimes agree to “submit the case on the record.” When this happens, a judge (not a jury) determines the defendant’s guilt or innocence based on the judge’s review of the preliminary hearing transcript.

What is plea court in PA?

The courts of common pleas are the trial courts of general jurisdiction in the state. The name derives from the medieval English court of Common Pleas. They hear civil cases with a significant amount in controversy and trials for serious crimes.

Should I take a plea or go to trial?

Having a guilty plea or a no contest plea on the record will look better than having a conviction after a trial. This is partly because the defendant likely will plead guilty or no contest to a lesser level of offense or to fewer offenses.

Can a judge change a plea bargain at sentencing?

Once the judge accepts the defendant’s guilty or no contest plea and enters a conviction, that judge can’t later overturn the plea agreement. If the defendant doesn’t satisfy the conditions, the judge can reject the plea and resentence the defendant.

What do judges consider when sentencing?

A judge must impose a sentence that is sufficient, but not greater than necessary, to: reflect the seriousness of the offense; promote respect for the law; provide just punishment for the offense; adequately deter criminal conduct; protect the public from further crimes by the defendant; and provide the defendant with …

Can a judge overrule a jury?

In U.S. federal criminal cases, the term is “judgment of acquittal”. JNOV is the practice in American courts whereby the presiding judge in a civil jury trial may overrule the decision of a jury and reverse or amend their verdict. In literal terms, the judge enters a judgment notwithstanding the jury verdict.

Can a judge enter a plea?

Judges will enter “not guilty” pleas for uncooperative defendants. Almost inevitably, at some point in criminal proceedings, a defendant will have to enter a plea. If the defendant refuses to enter a plea—or to even speak—then the judge will typically enter a not guilty plea on his or her behalf.

Are judges held accountable?

The phrase judicial accountability describes the view that judges should be held accountable in some way for their work. This could be public accountability—getting approval from voters in elections—or accountability to another political body like a governor or legislature.

Should you accept a plea deal?

They may try to convince you it is in your best interest to accept a deal on their terms or risk being charged with a more serious offense and face harsher penalties. But plea bargains are sometimes offered because evidence against you is flimsy and the prosecutor believes they might lose at trial.

Can you negotiate a plea deal?

Either side may begin negotiations over a proposed plea bargain, though obviously both sides have to agree before one comes to pass. Plea bargaining usually involves the defendant’s pleading guilty to a lesser charge, or to only one of several charges.

Is pleading guilty the same as being convicted?

If you are found guilty of, or plead guilty to, any level of crime, you are generally considered to have a conviction. You may have been convicted of a crime even if you did not spend any time in jail.

What is pleading guilty called?

Under common law, a defendant who pleads guilty is automatically convicted and the remainder of the trial is used to determine the sentence. This produces a system known as plea bargaining, in which defendants may plead guilty in exchange for a more lenient punishment.

When you plead guilty what happens next?

In-custody defendants may be brought to court soon after the agreement is reached for a special hearing in which the judge takes the plea. Otherwise, the taking of the plea (and sometimes sentencing) will occur at the next scheduled hearing.

Can you plead guilty not go to court?

A plea of guilty is an acceptance by the defendant that he has committed the offence(s) he is charged with. This means that following a guilty plea there is no need for a trial and the court will sentence the defendant, either immediately or at a later hearing.