State v. Martin

The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals vacating Defendant's convictions for violation of Defendant's right to a speedy trial, holding that speedy-trial time is tolled when a defendant's request for a continuance is made in open court and on the record or the reasons for the request are evidence from the record.The trial court denied Defendant's motion to dismiss the misdemeanor charges against her for violation of her right to a speedy trial, concluding that, after factoring in the periods of delay attributable to Defendant, ninety days had not elapsed from the date of her arrest to the date she filed her motion to dismiss. The court of appeals reversed and vacated Defendant's convictions, holding that the continuances in this case, while entered on behalf of Defendant, must be charged against the State because the trial court's journal entries either failed to identify Defendant as the requesting party or failed to explain the precise reasons for the delay. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that speedy-trial time is not chargeable to the State when the reasons for the defendant's request for a continuance are evident from the record, regardless of whether or not the trial court specifically journalizes those reasons on its docket sheet. View "State v. Martin" on Justia Law