The jurisdiction of the Whitehall Mayor’s Court.

The Whitehall Mayor’s Court has jurisdiction over traffic offenses and other misdemeanors alleged to be in violation of the Whitehall Codified Ordinances or the Ohio Revised Code. This includes traffic offenses that occur in Whitehall, like speeding, improper turn, failure to yield, etc.

The Whitehall Mayor’s Court convenes in the Whitehall City Hall on the Main Floor every Tuesday, excluding legal holidays. Traffic arraignments start at 8:00 a.m. The magistrate who presides over this court is the Honorable Sean Maxfield. The Clerk of Court is Duana Boiman. Clerk of Court handles all court documents and payments to the court. If you have a traffic ticket pending in the Whitehall Mayor’s Court, then you may access information about your case by pressing the link to the court’s online portal here.

The legal process in the Whitehall Mayor’s Court.

Like other Mayor’s Courts, the Whitehall Mayor’s Court is not a court of record and has no authority to conduct jury trials. Otherwise, while less formal, the process for handling traffic and criminal cases in the Mayor’s Court is substantially similar to the process for handling these types of cases in Municipal Courts and Common Pleas Courts.

As to matters pending in the Whitehall Mayor’s Court, there will be an arraignment, during which the charges are read and a plea is entered. The plea may be “not guilty,” “guilty” or “no contest.” If the matter is not resolved with a plea agreement, then there will be a trial before the magistrate. The magistrate is the presiding judicial officer and will make rulings on evidentiary objections and other legal matters. The magistrate also is the finder of fact as there is no jury trial. This means that, like a jury, the magistrate will determine guilt or innocence. If a defendant is found to be guilty, then the magistrate will determine the ultimate sentence or outcome of the case.

One of the benefits of having a traffic ticket pending in the Whitehall Mayor’s Court is that a given defendant will have the opportunity to resolve his or her case in a less formal setting. If the case cannot be resolved at pre-trial in this Mayor’s Court, then under some circumstances the case may be transferred downtown to the Municipal Court with jurisdiction over the offense. Moreover, even if the defendant proceeds beyond pre-trial and is convicted in this Mayor’s Court, then the conviction may be appealed to the Municipal Court with jurisdiction over the offense.

Hire a Columbus lawyer to represent you in your traffic ticket in the Whitehall Mayor’s Court.

For legal assistance with your Whitehall traffic ticket, contact us at 614.695.5000 or online. Frequently a lawyer can appear in court and resolve a traffic case in the client’s absence, provided both the court and the prosecutor agree. This saves the client the aggravation of taking time off from work, fighting traffic to get to court on time, waiting for potentially hours for the case to be called, standing in long lines, and potentially having to do it all over again if the case is continued.