The Maricopa County Superior Court is where all Felony and secondary Misdemeanor and Civil Violations proceed through the system. If the primary charge is a Misdemeanor or a Civil Violation, those types of cases end up in City Courts, Town Courts, or Justice Courts.
There are four courthouses around Maricopa County that handle felony cases: two in downtown Phoenix, one in Mesa, and one in northern Phoenix.
The Preliminary Hearing stage is basically when a person is charged with a Felony offense, they are sometimes told to come to court, where they can meet with their attorney, and, potentially, negotiate a plea agreement or dismissal of the case prior to a judge determining whether the charges are appropriate to move forward towards trial.
The two court complexes in downtown Phoenix, the Central Court Building, the South Court Tower, and on rare occasion, the old Maricopa County Court House, is where Preliminary Hearings take place, as well as initial appearances after a grand jury comes back with an indictment (charging a defendant with crimes), and are the primary locations for jury trials on Felony (and secondary Misdemeanor and Civil Offense) cases.
The types of Felonies that occur in these court buildings include:
- Aggravated DUI – License
- Aggravated DUI – 3rd in Time
- Aggravated DUI – Child Under the Age of 15
- Aggravated DUI – Ignition Interlock Device
- Causing Death by Use of a Vehicle
- Causing Serious Physical Injury by Use of a Vehicle
In Maricopa County, two judges are tasked with overseeing Aggravated DUI cases. Nearly all other cases are randomly assigned to other Superior Court judges.
Unfortunately, in most instances, a defendant charged with a Felony offense must show up to every court appearance, and an attorney is unable to appear on the client’s behalf.
If you, or someone you know, is charged with a DUI offense in University Lakes Justice Court, you want someone who focuses solely on DUI Defense Representation. Call The Law Offices of Brian D. Sloan at 480-900-0384 for a Free ‘In-Depth’ Consultation.
