The Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution entitles you to a jury trial in a criminal case. You will have your proverbial “day in court,” where the prosecution will present the evidence against you in the form of witnesses. You will also have the right to put on your own case. Here is what you can expect at a criminal trial in Wisconsin.
If you have been convicted of a crime in Wisconsin, it is far from the end of the legal story in your case. The law gives the judge the discretion to impose a sentence in your case. There is a wide range of potential that could range from probation to the maximum possible period of incarceration under the law. The judge may consider a number of factors before they reach their decision. Two defendants could receive entirely different sentences based on their own personal situations, both in life and surrounding the crime that was committed. One key concern in any sentencing proceedings is mitigating factors.
There are high stakes involved when you are facing any type of domestic violence charges in Wisconsin. If you are convicted, there will be immediate impacts. You cannot and should not face the legal system alone. Otherwise, you may be subject to a rush to judgment, and you can do damage to your own case. You should always contact a criminal defense attorney as soon as you are arrested or you learn that you are being investigated.
Most criminal cases do not end up at trial. Either the charges are dropped, or the defendant reaches a plea agreement with the prosecutor. Your criminal defense attorney may look for a way to get the charges dropped if it is at all possible. In some cases, the charges are dropped when you successfully fight and stand up for your legal rights. In other cases, the charges may be dropped as part of a deal with the prosecutor.
Once you have been charged with a crime, your first major decision is whether to hire a lawyer in your case. There is no question that you should retain an attorney to represent you. Your legal rights and perhaps even your freedom are at risk. You are then faced with a choice of whether to hire a private criminal defense lawyer or a public defender. It is worth the investment to get your own private lawyer. Public defenders are simply too overloaded and under-resourced to fight as effectively as a private lawyer can.
It goes without saying that you need to hire your own criminal defense attorney for your Wisconsin court case. You must make your decision quickly because your legal rights depend on you getting the necessary legal help. The question then becomes which attorney you should hire. You are faced with many choices, as there may be a large number of criminal defense attorneys in your area. The attorney you select must be the right attorney for you, and you must make the selection under pressure. Here are some things that you should consider when choosing a Wisconsin criminal defense lawyer.
Kyle Rittenhouse was an 18-year-old man charged with reckless homicide and intentional homicide in the shooting of three men during protests against the shooting of a black man, Jacob Blake, by a white police officer in Kenosha in 2021. Rittenhouse’s defense attorneys argued that Rittenhouse was the person facing danger, with one man trying to attack Rittenhouse with a skateboard and Rittenhouse only defending himself against his would-be attackers.
The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the country, and the first 10 amendments to the Constitution were known as the Bill of Rights. In total, there have been 33 amendments to the Constitution proposed by the United States Congress and sent to the states for ratification, with 27 being ratified by the requisite number of states and becoming part of the Constitution, six being adopted by Congress and sent to the states but not ratified by the required number of states, four still pending, one being closed and failing on its own terms, and one being closed and failing by the terms of the resolution proposing it.
Some criminal defendants in Wisconsin are faced with a choice of whether to pay for their own attorney or have a public attorney appointed for them. For some defendants, a public defender is an absolute necessity. However, if you have the ability to hire a private attorney in any way, you should strongly consider doing so. There are substantive differences in both the experience of working with your lawyer and the results that they will obtain for you.
When conferring with your criminal defense lawyer, you will often hear them speak of what the prosecutor is doing and what they may be thinking. The prosecutor plays a vital role in the criminal justice system, and how they proceed could determine your freedom and future.