The purpose of a preliminary hearing is to allow a magisterial district judge to determine whether the government can demonstrate a prima facie case against the defendant. A prima facie case requires, in layman’s terms, the government to demonstrate that it is more likely than not that: (1) a crime...
Criminal law is one of the oldest of the major branches of law. It spells out rules of conduct for society to follow and provides for penalties when those rules are broken. The law also protects by shielding citizens from wrongful prosecutions and mistakes made by law enforcement officials,...
