Court

Appearing in Court

The Deer Trail Municipal Court is a very traditional and polite place. When appearing in Court you should act, dress and speak in a way that helps your case. Here are some tips:

• When you come to court, dress as professionally as possible. This means clothes that are neat and clean and without holes. You should be clean and neatly groomed. Tank tops, shorts, and flip-flop footwear are not acceptable. Hats are not to be worn in the courtroom.
• How you act is as important as how you look. You must be respectful to everyone within the courtroom. This includes the Judge, Court Staff, witnesses and people in the building.
• The Court has a very busy schedule, so you must be on time for the Judge. If you are late, your case may be postponed. Make sure you are prepared with all the court documents you need.
• The Judge cannot speak to you about your case except when your case is being heard. The Court Staff will help you in any way they can with information about when your hearing is scheduled or about your fine. However, the Court Staff cannot provide you legal advice or recommendations on what you should do.
• If you represent yourself in Court, you may want to get legal advice from a lawyer ahead of time to make sure you are doing the right thing.
• Please be prepared to make payment of fines and costs. The court conducts a thorough investigation and review of all cases in which defendants request additional time to pay fines. The Court accepts cash, money order, or a check for payment of fines and costs. An additional fee of $25.00 will be charged for all returned checks.
• Also, please be advised that you cannot smoke, chew tobacco products, eat, or drink in the courtroom. Cell phones must be placed on silent and kept quiet at all times.