Rule 34 Waiver Hearing

This rule deals with cases where a young person is accused of a crime and the court holds a hearing to decide if the case should stay in family court or move to adult criminal court. This is called a waiver hearing.

If the judge decides the case should stay in family court, a different judge must handle the next part of the case, called the adjudicatory hearing. This is the hearing where the court decides if the young person actually committed the offense.

The reason for this rule is fairness. The judge who heard the waiver hearing may have already learned details about the case that could affect their opinion. Having a new judge for the adjudicatory hearing helps make sure the young person gets a fair and unbiased look at the evidence.