Michigan Laws 766.13 – Discharge of defendant or reduction of charge; binding defendant to appear for arraignment
Current as of: 2023 | Check for updates
|
Other versions
Terms Used In Michigan Laws 766.13
- Arraignment: A proceeding in which an individual who is accused of committing a crime is brought into court, told of the charges, and asked to plead guilty or not guilty.
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- Felony: means a violation of a penal law of this state for which the offender, upon conviction, may be punished by imprisonment for more than 1 year or an offense expressly designated by law to be a felony. See Michigan Laws 761.1
- Magistrate: means a judge of the district court or a judge of a municipal court. See Michigan Laws 761.1
- Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
If the magistrate determines at the conclusion of the preliminary examination that a felony has not been committed or that there is not probable cause for charging the defendant with committing a felony, the magistrate shall either discharge the defendant or reduce the charge to an offense that is not a felony. If the magistrate determines at the conclusion of the preliminary examination that a felony has been committed and that there is probable cause for charging the defendant with committing a felony, the magistrate shall forthwith bind the defendant to appear within 14 days for arraignment before the circuit court of that county, or the magistrate may conduct the circuit court arraignment as provided by court rule.