Details – my state is TEXAS

Your supervisor has asked you to lead a team of paralegals in your office in a project to prepare a public service PowerPoint presentation to the community about how a case moves through your state’s criminal court system. This presentation will explain the steps in how a case moves through the courts and who is involved in the courtroom work group.

The presentation should include the following:

• List the stages of the criminal process from the pre-trial stage through the end of the trial and what occurs at each stage.
• Who are the members of the courtroom work group, and what are their roles in the courtroom?
• How would a criminal case be appealed to a higher court in your jurisdiction?

Depending upon the specific procedure in a student’s state, the student should discuss the following events:

• Investigation
• Arrest
• Bond or bail hearings
• Preliminary hearing or grand jury
• Arraignment or entering a plea
• Pre-trial discovery
• Plea bargaining that may take place throughout this process
• Trial
• Verdict
• Post-trial motions
• Sentencing
• Appeals

For the courtroom work group, students should discuss some of the following individuals:

• Judge
• Prosecutor
• Court reporter
• Clerk
• Bailiff
• Defense attorney
• Law clerk

Some students also may mention the client’s and the jury’s roles.

 discuss the specific appellate road map in their states, such as Circuit Court to a Court of Appeals to the Supreme Court. Answers will vary depending upon the specific state.