Picture the Homeless

To resolve a warrant, you will have to go to the Court Clerk’s office at the courthouse where your missed hearing was scheduled, so that a new court date can be set.

Although the court has the authority to have you arrested for missing your court date, you will probably not be. Instead, if you go at 9am when the court first opens, you will probably have a hearing to set a new court date. You will likely have to wait at the courthouse for a few hours while they find the records of your case.

It is best to have your lawyer with you for these proceedings. However, if you are there without a lawyer, you should be prepared to tell the judge why you missed your hearing date (documentation – like proof that you were in the hospital – is good to bring). It is unlikely that the facts of the case will be discussed, and the judge will probably tell you not to miss any more court dates, set a new hearing date for you and let you go. If you have missed a lot of hearing dates in the past, the judge may set bail to ensure that you appear at your hearing. (This is not a guarantee of what will happen to you – it is just what happens to most people when they go to court to resolve a warrant).