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MD considers whether a lawyer is required at an initial appearance where bail is set

By John Wesley Hall, Jr.

Oral argument is today in a case against the State of Maryland to require that all suspects have counsel at their initial appearance where bail is set. WaPo: Suit Seeks Early Counsel for Defendants / Md. High Court to Weigh Representation at Initial Hearings: The hearing in a Baltimore jail went forward without a lawyer for the defendant, just as it would have for almost any other defendant arrested in Maryland, and Singleton was ordered held on $10,000 bail. Today, the state's highest court takes up the question of whether the right to counsel extends to these brief initial appearances. The answer could have considerable fiscal implications for the state. Anyone who has watched a few episodes of "Law & Order" might assume that defense lawyers are at their clients' side from the outset of a case...continue to full post

Full post as published by Law Of Criminal Defense on January 09, 2009 (boomark / email).