§ 912 Presence of defendant required in felony cases when verdict received - Discretionary in misdemeanor cases.

If someone is charged with a felony, they have to be there in person when the jury announces its verdict. The court can't accept the verdict unless the defendant is physically present in the courtroom.

For misdemeanor cases, the rules are more relaxed. The judge gets to decide whether the defendant needs to be there when the verdict is read. This means someone charged with a lesser crime might not have to show up for that part of the process, depending on what the judge allows.

The main difference comes down to how serious the charge is. Felony cases carry bigger consequences, so the law requires the defendant to be present to hear the verdict firsthand. Misdemeanor cases give the court more flexibility since the stakes are generally lower.