Letter from attorney to opposing counsel requesting documentation concerning homestead exemption for change of venue motion.
Letter from attorney to opposing counsel requesting documentation concerning homestead exemption for change of venue motion.
Brown v. A unanimous Court overturned Plessy v. Ferguson and held that state laws requiring or allowing racially segregated schools violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court famously stated "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."
Negative pre-trial publicity is the most common reason for a change of venue. The defense lawyer must show that the publicity was severe enough that it affects the ability to find an impartial jury.
The judge must review the facts of the specific case and determine whether a change of venue would be appropriate. For example, the judge may look into whether the foreign national may have a valid defense to removal. They also may be more likely to grant a change of venue if the case has not already been delayed.
Understanding Change of Venue in a Criminal Case Circumstances that make juror impartiality unlikely can, however, arise. In those circumstances, defense attorneys often "move" (ask) to have the trial take place somewhere else. (In most states, the prosecution can't request a change of venue.)
For example, in California, when a bailiff or marshal calls the court to order part of the cry will take the form "in and for the County of San Francisco"; when there is a change of venue the cry will be, "in the County of Alameda for the County of San Francisco."
The Rodney King case is one example of a notable change of venue where the trial was moved from Los Angeles to Simi Valley to manage impartiality. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing, also filed a motion for a change of venue because of pretrial publicity and local bias.
To move your case to another court, you must make a “Motion to Change Venue” in writing, and file one copy with the Court where your case is currently located and another copy with the Department of Homeland Security.
It's very rare for a prosecutor to request a change of venue. I only know of one case and I will describe it below. Changes of venue are generally because it is believed than an impartial jury cannot be impaneled in the current venue. Obviously this is more often a concern for the defense than the prosecution.
As we will explain below, the law governing the transfer of proceedings from one court to another generally favours the claimant. Therefore, if you want control over the location of the court where your disputes are resolved, provision ought to be made for this in your contracts.
A circuit court may, on motion of the accused or of the Commonwealth, for good cause, order the venue for the trial of a criminal case in such court to be changed to some other circuit court. Such motion when made by the accused may be made in his absence upon a petition signed and sworn to by him.