Monday, March 2, 2009

Now Judges Don't get to Make Sentencing Decisions in DUI's

You would think with all of the scandals surrounding Chicago DUI arrests, charges and convictions that when judges want to be as fair as possible in sentencing, (perhaps because they think the prosecutors cannot make their case against the defendant if it went to trial), the Attorney General would leave well enough alone. That is apparently not the case. As I recently wrote for the Illinois State Bar Association, judges are being stripped of their power to sentence.

The result of decisions such as that will cause the justice system to be overburdened throughout Illinois with more and more DUI cases going to trial.

The stakes have gotten higher for anyone charged with a DUI. You risk losing your driver's license, going to jail, and costs over $14,000, according to the Illinois Secretary of State, if you do not invest in agressively fighting your DUI charge.