Rule CR542 - Scheduling Of Criminal Court Jury Selection And Related Proceedings1. At the time of Preliminary Hearing or at the time of waiver of such Preliminary Hearing, the Magisterial District Judge having jurisdiction over the criminal case shall furnish each criminal defendant with a written form setting forth mandatory dates and times for the following:a. Criminal Court Arraignmentb. Criminal Conferences (2)c. Jury Selection Defendant shall appear as directed for all these proceedings, unless appropriate waivers are executed and filed or his attendance is excused due to a resolution of his case, by means such as a plea, ARD, or nolle prosse.
2. Any failure of the defendant to appear as directed in this Rule may constitute grounds for the issuance of a bench warrant and, where appropriate, revocation or modification of bail.3. All scheduling done pursuant to this Rule shall be under the supervision of the District Court Administrator, and shall be accomplished on a case by case basis by the various Magisterial District Judges in accordance with a master calendar and guidelines established by the District Court Administrator. All such scheduling dates shall be deemed mandatory.4. Criminal conferences shall be held in accordance with the foregoing on the dates set by the District Court Administrator, after consultation with the Office of the District Attorney. Criminal conferences shall be conducted on an informal basis with the goal of prompt and expeditious resolution of criminal cases. A representative of the District Attorney's Office will meet informally with the defendant and counsel to discuss possible resolution of the case. Defendants and all counsel are required to attend. The District Attorney Representative in charge of the conferences shall promptly report on the status of each criminal case to the District Court Administrator as soon as the conferences are completed. The District Court Administrator shall reserve necessary schedule time for the prompt implementation of the results of the criminal conferences. Failure of the Defendant to appear at the criminal conference may result in the issuance of a bench warrant.
5. Counsel shall not be permitted to represent the Defendant at the proceedings described in this Rule without first filing an appropriate Entry of Appearance as provided in Local Rule CR120.6. Various mandatory forms implementing this Rule shall be available at the Office of the District Attorney and all Magisterial District Judge office locations, and shall be available to counsel upon request.7. The Court from time to time may implement a Call of the Criminal List requiring counsel and parties to be present for case status reports, updates, and for the purpose of facilitating a disposition of the case by plea or otherwise.Amended effective 6/21/2017; amended effective 4/18/2019.