A DUI trial calendar is the entire list of all the impaired driving cases that may be handled by a particular court over a particular session or trial “term” of court.
A trial term or session usually lasts from one week to a month. A typical calendar may have three to ten times more cases on it than can be accommodated because many cases will be resolved by a plea to some offense or offenses as part of negotiations between the prosecutor and defense attorneys representing accused citizens. Most jurisdictions give priority to the oldest cases first unless other “priority” issues cause newer cases to be called first. Two possible categories of “special” priorities can be a pending demand for a speedy trial, or to accommodate an incarcerated defendant.
Thus, just because your case has been placed on a trial calendar does not mean your trial will be held during that term of court. On the eve of trial, your attorney may be able to negotiate an acceptable deal with the prosecution. A technical problem (such as witness availability) may arise with your case (or with the prosecution’s case), such that the trial will be postponed.
Another possible scenario is that the court may not be able to reach your case by the time the trial term is over.
Be prepared mentally, emotionally and financially for your case to be called by the judge as early as the first day of the trial calendar. Also, be aware that you could have to wait through several calendars. An experienced DUI-DWI attorney knows how to “read” the trial calendar, giving you a reasonable estimate of your chances of being reached on the calendar during a particular trial term.
Your DUI attorney’s legal staff will typically email you to let you know if you have been summoned for a calendar call. You do not have to appear in person for this court session. If you can’t get off work or are out of town, we will go down to the court and represent your interests. Of course we always welcome your attendance because the more you are involved, the better you will understand next steps.