New Arizona Law Removes Jury Trial Option for First-Time DUI Offenders

New Arizona laws might make it harder for first-time DUI offenders to get a jury trial.

2011-06-12

June 12, 2011 (Press-News.org) A recently approved Arizona bill -- that has not yet been signed into law -- will ease potential penalties facing those charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs for the first time. Those lessened penalties come with a steep price tag, however. In exchange for reduced consequences, offenders lose the otherwise automatic option of choosing a jury to hear their case at trial instead of a judge. First-time DUI defendants would still have the right to request a jury trial, but instead of their request being granted, it would be decided upon by the trial court judge.

Other Changes to the Law

In addition to losing the automatic right to choose a jury trial rather than a bench trial, other changes are coming to Arizona DUI laws if this bill becomes law. For starters, judges would have the right to sentence a convicted offender to time already served in jail instead of the current minimum 24-hour mandate. The law would also lessen the amount of time that people convicted of DUI for the first time would be forced to maintain an ignition interlock system in their cars. Ignition interlock systems are used to ensure that drivers do not get behind the wheel while intoxicated. They require the driver to submit to a Breathalyzer-type test to check for alcohol before the vehicle will start.

Prosecutors and some lawmakers hail the changes, saying that requiring defendants to actively seek a jury trial -- thus lowering the number of jury trials that actually take place -- will save millions of taxpayer dollars every year. Defense attorneys are worried, however, that removing the jury trial element will prevent defendants from being able to really "have their day in court" before an impartial jury, instead forcing defendants to rely upon a jaded judge who may or may not actually be fair-minded.

If you or a loved one is facing a DUI charge, you need to mount an aggressive defense to protect yourself from hefty fines, jail time, license suspension and other consequences. Contact an experienced criminal defense attorney in your area to get started as soon as possible after an arrest.

Article provided by Beresky & Fish, P.C.
Visit us at www.bereskyandfish.com

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 Bankruptcy?

2011-06-12

If you are watching your finances and growing more concerned with each passing day, you may want more information on how to go about filing a bankruptcy. You may have heard of Chapter 7 and Chapter 13, but might not really understand the difference. This article is designed to help. Chapter 7 Chapter 7 is frequently referred to as providing a "fresh start." It does this by discharging most debts (some obligations can't be discharged, such as student loans.) A debtor is granted exemptions that cover their basic needs for day-to-day living. Exemptions are ...

President Obama Focuses on Estate and Capital Gains Taxes

2011-06-12

Does the current economic climate leave your head spinning, wondering how tax and budget changes will affect you and your family? Do you ever wonder how our country got into the financial mess it is in, or why? President Obama, in the budget recently proposed to Congress, targeted two specific tax items: estate taxes and capital gains taxes. The proposed estate tax changes target mainly more affluent people with larger estates, while capital gains tax reforms mostly impact wage earners. The taxes are still up for debate, you can be sure there are changes coming, some ...

Hypnosis/local anesthesia combination during surgery helps patients, reduces hospital stays

2011-06-12

Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Using a combination of hypnosis and local anaesthesia (LA) for certain types of surgery can aid the healing process and reduce drug use and time spent in hospital, anaesthesiologists have found. The combination could also help avoid cancer recurrence and metastases, according to new research to be presented today (Sunday) at the European Anaesthesiology Congress in Amsterdam. Professor Fabienne Roelants and Dr. Christine Watremez, from the Department of Anaesthesiology at the Cliniques Universitaires St. Luc, UCL, Brussels, Belgium, studied ...

Internal bleeding higher with popular heart device than earlier model

2011-06-12

DETROIT – The incidence of internal bleeding was higher in the most commonly implanted heart device than in an earlier model, according to two studies at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. The HeartMate II, a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is a continuous-flow mechanical pump connected to the patient's heart that takes over the pumping of the weakened heart's left ventricle. "Although there were more instances of bleeding in the skull and gastrointestinal track with the HeartMate II, as opposed to the earlier model, there was no increase in mortality," says lead ...

Raising Awareness of Social Security Disability Insurance

2011-06-12

May is Disability Insurance Awareness Month. This annual month of consumer outreach was founded by The Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education, a nonprofit insurance information organization. Disability Can Happen to Anyone The nonprofit Council for Disability Awareness has compiled important statistics on its website that show how financially vulnerable we are as a society to sudden disability: - Forty-four percent of American families spend more money than they take in. - Sixty percent of us have no savings set aside for emergencies. - More than 60 ...

Senate Passes Bill Restricting Housing Options for Convicted Sex Offenders

2011-06-12

On April 28, 2011, the New Jersey state senate unanimously passed S837, a bill to further restrict where convicted sex offenders can reside. Should the bill become law, it will grant New Jersey municipalities the authority to create 500-foot "buffer zones" surrounding child-friendly sites like schools, daycare centers, playgrounds and churches. This would seriously curtail the housing options for any convicted sex offenders living in the area, and could effectively put entire towns off limits for some. This bill is unique in that it targets ALL convicted sex ...

The Surviving Relatives Law

2011-06-12

Near the end of his first year in office, President Obama signed into law amendments to the Immigration & Nationality Act (INA) reversing the longstanding rule that visa petitions filed for relatives are automatically revoked upon the death of the Petitioner. This law ameliorates the harsh, unfair consequences resulting to thousands of beneficiaries of family and employment-based visa petitions who have been waiting for years for their priority dates to become current, only to have their hopes dashed by the untimely death of the Petitioner before they could obtain their ...

British Airways Offers Up to 50% Off Holidays to Europe in Business Class

2011-06-12

British Airways is offering some great holiday deals to Europe with up to fifty percent off holidays when booking Club Europe, the airline's business class. Club Europe (business class) holidays offer customers a range of benefits to make their holiday extra special, including: access to exclusive airport lounges, check in two bags per person, extra leg room and good food and wine on board. The range of holiday offers makes a luxurious getaway to the continent even more affordable this summer. Claire Bentley, managing director, BA Holidays, said: "Travellers craving ...

NH Hoteles Implements 'Quality Focus' Strategy

2011-06-12

NH Hoteles has announced it is stepping up its efforts to find out about, and optimise the level of satisfaction of its guests supported by technological innovation and web horizons. To do this, the hotel chain's Quality Department has developed new channels of communication with its customers and has set up tools among the first of their kind for analysing assessments and comments made about the hotel chain online, such as satisfaction surveys, calculating and analysing online opinions and in-depth studies made regularly by 'mystery guests' who visit the hotels have ...

Radisson Blu Hotel Lietuva Certified The Green Key Hotel

2011-06-12

Radisson Blu Hotel Lietuva in Vilnius has held onto its Green Key Hotel status, which it has held since 2004. The Green Key was created to raise awareness in the tourism and leisure trade about how to run a environmentally responsible business. To obtain The Green Key a hotel has to fulfill a long list of environmental requirements, which in themselves contain a number of criteria. Apart from purely environmental demands, the criteria also includes requirements on policy and action plans. The Hotel in Vilnius became involved in The Green Key project to ensure ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Project to redesign clinical trials for neurologic conditions for underserved populations funded with $2.9M grant to UTHealth Houston

Menarini Group and Insilico Medicine enter a second exclusive global license agreement for an AI discovered preclinical asset targeting high unmet needs in oncology