Madison County Common Pleas Court

Court Information

Having dealt with the Madison County Common Pleas Court for almost 10 years, we’ve defended a variety of cases there, from aggravated murder, to arson, to obstructing justice, to possession of drugs and anything else that falls under the criminal spectrum.

Court Process Information

The first step in the court process is an arraignment, which is where your charges will be read in front of a judge or magistrate and you will plead “not guilty,” “guilty” or “no contest.”

If the police issue a warrant for your arrest, we can work toward getting this set aside and having an arraignment instead, or minimize your time spent in jail or bond amount if that isn’t feasible.

Before trial, the court may hold pretrial proceedings and, when a party files an appropriate motion, a motion hearing. Counsel may review discovery, raise legal issues, and discuss possible resolutions with the prosecutor assigned to the case. If the case is not resolved, it may proceed through additional hearings or to a bench or jury trial, depending on the charges, motions, pleas, and court orders. A motion hearing addresses a pending motion; a guilty or not-guilty verdict follows a trial, not the motion hearing itself. Whether a disposition appears on a record, or may later be sealed or expunged, depends on the specific offense, disposition, eligibility rules, and a court order.