Georgia DUI Calendar Call

By Ben Sessions on December 1st, 2014 in DUI / DWI

The procedure followed after the arraignment in your Georgia DUI case can vary from court-to-court. However, at some point in time after your arraignment and prior to the trial of your DUI case, you will scheduled for a calendar call. The calendar call date is a hearing that Courts use to determine which case are ready for trial, which cases are ready for trial, and which cases have outstanding issues such as motions that need to be heard prior to the trial of the case. The calendar call date in your Georgia DUI case can be a significant date for many reasons.

First, the calendar call date provides an important opportunity to speak with the prosecutor again prior to trial in the effort to conclude the case on terms that are agreeable to you. There is probably no better means of attaining a favorable resolution of your case than simply announcing “ready for trial” at a calendar call. That being said, announcing ready means nothing if you and your DUI lawyer are not prepared to actually try the case. A lawyer who announces ready for trial when he or she repeatedly does not try cases will quickly lose credibility with the court. A defendant who attempts to bluff the prosecutor and court by announcing ready when they actually do not intend to try the case may suffer some severe consequences. See the second point addressed below.

Second, in many, but not all, courts, the calendar call is the last opportunity to enter a “negotiated plea” in your Georgia DUI case. While I extremely dislike these policies, it is more important that you understand that the policy exists and what the possible ramifications are on your case.

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