What is the Difference Between a Dismissal and a Retirement?


What is a Dismissal?

What is a Retirement?

What is the Difference Between a Dismissal and a Retirement?




Murfreesboro Crime: Will Resetting My First Court Date Hurt My Case?

I am often asked will it hurt my case if I reset my first court date? The answer is almost always no.

In Rutherford County General Sessions Court, the first court date is often called the Initial Appearance. At an Initial Appearance, you will have several choices. One of those choices is to ask for a reset to hire a lawyer. Of course, you can try and settle your case that day or try to move your case to another court date, but a few options involve resetting your case to another day: asking for time to a hire a lawyer; or asking to have a public defender appointed for you.

In General Sessions Court in Murfreesboro and Smyrna, each side typically gets the right to one reset. By that, I mean that any defendant can ask the court to reset the case at least one time for any reason. Similarly, the State can ask the court to reset the case one time for any reason. The court allows these requests equally.

In a typical criminal case in Rutherford County, the case is reset several times. The defendant may request a reset to hire a lawyer, to prepare for his defense, or to allow time to do a number of things. The State may request a reset to subpoena a witness, to allow the arresting officer to appear, or to allow the State to prepare evidence.

In short, asking for a reset on your first court date is unlikely to hurt your case. Asking for a reset is a very common occurrence at a first court date. The judge is used to people asking for a reset and the State is used to it as well.

Of course, if you ever have concerns about whether a reset will affect your specific case, it is wise to consult with a criminal defense lawyer who is experienced in your area. My office is happy to help in criminal cases in Murfreesboro, Smyrna, and all of Rutherford County.