Dudley Goar Attorney At Law

A Magistrate's Hearing, sometimes called a “Show Cause Hearing,” is hearing that is held before a Clerk of Assistant Clerk of the District Court after someone, often a police department, has filed an Application for a Criminal Complaint against you. At the hearing, the applicant (usually a police officer) will summarize the basis for the application to the clerk. You are then allowed to present your side of the story, and the clerk will decide if there is probable cause for one or more crimes based on the alleged facts. Probable cause is a low standard of evidence, so the clerk will often determine that there is probable cause. However, that is not the end of the story, because the clerk has the power, even after probable cause is found, not to issue a criminal complaint. I have years...

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