Delaware: Jury Trials - HB158
There is a bill being considered by the Delaware Legislature that requires your attention.
This bill, HB158, would remove jury trials as an option for defendants in certain traffic citation cases.
You can view the bill in its entirety here.
We urge you to contact your legislators and let them know how you feel about this bill. You can find out who your legislators are by visiting this site.
Some key points to bring up regarding this bill can be found below:
- This bill is an attempt to discourage people from fighting their traffic tickets in court.
- If someone decides to fight their traffic ticket, removing the option for a jury trial makes putting up a defense more difficult.
- Juries provide a safeguard against judges and prosecutors who use traffic tickets as a source of income. If the Judge and the Prosecutor are golfing buddies, a jury may be the only neutral party in the courtroom.
