Assignment Office

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Assignment Office

Welcome to the Assignment Office of Montgomery County Circuit Court

Location: Room 110

Phone: (240)777-9000

Function

The Assignment Office's function is to schedule and maintain all hearing dates, trial dates and special docket dates for the judges and Family Division Masters of this Court. The Assignment Office keeps track of matters that need special assignment and maintains all information returned on the court sheets to ascertain that all matters have been heard, reset or disposed of in some manner.

Assignment Office Divisions and Duties

Criminal Indictments/Informations: Under the Differentiated Case Management (DCM) program the computer assigns all trial dates and other scheduling events. This docket is updated and maintained by the Assignment Office. All sentencings, V.O.P.'s, pleas, video bond hearings, and other special criminal hearings are maintained on this calendar. Any changes in scheduling of these matters should be given to the assigned clerk who keeps this calendar in the Assignment Office.

Criminal Jury Demands and Appeals: The assigned clerk in the Assignment Office maintains the pre-trial calendar, jury demands from Rockville and Silver Spring, 4-215 hearings for indictment/information cases and the 8:30 criminal jury demand/appeals trial calendar (scheduling of sentence review panels and en banc hearings are also handled by this clerk). The pretrial calendar is scheduled at 9:00 a.m. every Friday. The trial calendar is scheduled at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. These are Jury demands or appeal cases that were not disposed of at the pre-trial level. All continuances that are requested on jury demands or appeals mus be referred to the County Administrative Judge for ruling.

Civil Trial Assignment/Special Assignments: Civil trial assignments are scheduled under the Differentiated Case Management (DCM) Plan at the Settlement/Pre-Trial Conference (Track 3) and Status/Pre-Trial Conference (Track 2). The case must be at issue and a Joint Pre-Trial Statement filed. A date will be cleared with the attorneys in the courtroom and will not be changed without further order of Court. Administrative Appeals, DCA (on record), and any specially assigned civil trials are maintained by the civil assignment clerk. These matters are assigned to judges on a rotation basis by the Assignment Office. They are sent to the judges' chambers for scheduling in accordance with the Maryland Rules of Procedure. Specifically assigned civil cases do not necessarily take priority over the general assignment calendar. All scheduled trial dates on specially assigned cases must be cleared by the Assignment Commissioner so that coordination of trial scheduling can be maintained with the general assignment calendar and specially assigned cases. Any changes in scheduling of these matters should be given to the civil assignment clerks.

Civi1 Motions: When a request for hearing is filed with a motion in a civil track 0, 2, or 3 case, the request will be sent to the Assignment Office on a computer printout for scheduling. The motions clerk schedules all motions on the half-hour motions calendar. One judge is assigned to this calendar per week. Eighteen half-hour motions are set per day. Long motions (not to exceed two hours) are scheduled on Tuesdays and Thursdays. One hour motions are scheduled on Mondays and Wednesdays. The motions calendar is delivered to the assigned judge the Wednesday prior to that scheduled week's motions. Any changes in scheduling of these matters should be given to the civil motions clerk. Note: Transcripts and exhibits are not delivered with the motions files, but will be delivered to a judge upon request.

Bench Warrants: Bench warrant returns are given to the Assignment Office by the Sheriff's Department each morning. The Assignment Office locates the court file and determines what matters need to be scheduled. An information slip is attached to each file advising the court which matters need to be scheduled. Bench warrants are held by the duty judge each day at 1:30 p.m. When a judge's chambers is closed for leave, dates should be provided to the assigned clerk for sentencings, VOP's, pleas, etc. Please note: In the event a bond is changed, either the conditions or the defendant is released, and it requires an execution of a new bond, the sheriffs will take the individual in custody until such time as the paperwork for the new bond can be completed.

Data Entry: The assigned clerk on this desk runs all court sheet assignments via computer for each judge and court personnel. These assignments include each judge's trial assignment, the motion assignment, pre-trial assignment, 4-215 hearings, and any other special dockets maintained by the Assignment Office.

Daily Docket and Delivering: The assigned clerks to this desk locates all files for the assigned trial calendars and reviews each file to establish that the matter is still pending. The files are put together for each judge's assignment. If the file is marked with a "T" (transcript) or "E" (exhibit), the clerk will pull the transcripts or exhibits from the reproduction room, located on the lobby level, and attach them to the files. The files are then delivered to the judges' chambers the day before the scheduled event.

Differentiated Case Management (DCM): The assigned clerks maintain all Differentiated Case Management (DCM) scheduled events. These events include Track 2 status/pre-trials, Track 3 and Track 4, scheduling conferences and settlement/pre-trial conferences. The Assignment Office also updates any changes in discovery and motions cut off dates. Any changes in these scheduled events should be given directly to the Differentiated Case Management (DCM) clerk. All files pertaining to these events will be obtained and reviewed by the Differentiated Case Management (DCM) clerk. All scheduling orders, pre-trial orders, and track changes will be produced and maintained by the assigned clerk. The files for these scheduled events will be delivered to the assigned judge one or two days before the scheduled event.

Family Division: Under the Differentiated Case Management (DCM) family program, the computer assigns all hearings before the Family Division Masters, custody merits, merits, contempt, modifications and other scheduling events. The calendars of the Family Division Judges and Masters are updated and maintained by the Assignment Office. This division retrieves, reviews, schedules and oversees all computer schedules for family cases. Exceptions, Family Motions Calendar and Adoptions are also handled by this division. The Assignment Office updates any changes in scheduled events as well as changes in discovery and motions cut off dates. Any scheduling changes of these matters should be given to the family division assignment clerks.

Assignment Commissioner: Supervises and directs all assignment office staff. Assigns all trials to each individual judge. Coordinates all dates with judges on specially assigned matters in conjunction with the general assignment calendar. Approves, schedules, and coordinates all calendars maintained by the Assignment Office. Directs and transfers all cases from one courtroom to another.

Juvenile Division: Tracks 1-10 were developed for juvenile matters under Differentiated Case Management (DCM) program. Depending on the case type, the computer generates a series of orders and scheduling orders based on the data entry from the Juvenile Division of the Clerk's Office or the Assignment Office. The hearings set include, but are not limited to, preliminary inquiries, pre-trial hearings, adjudicatory hearings, dispositions, permanency placement hearings, peace orders, adoptions, detention hearings, emergency hearings for delinquent and CINA cases, restitution hearings, review hearings, violation of probation, waivers to adult court, shelter care hearings, terminate parental rights.

The Juvenile Division of the Assignment Office oversees the scheduling of juvenile matters by coordinating judges schedules and dates with the Juvenile Judges, Juvenile Division of the Clerk's Office, Juvenile Case Managers, State's Attorney's Office, Public Defender's Office, County Attorney's Office and related departments that provide juvenile services. Any scheduling changes of juvenile matters should be given to the Juvenile Division Assignment Clerks.

Quality Control: The Quality Control Assignment Clerk works closely with the Quality Control Department to monitor all Circuit Court Cases. All data entry is checked for accuracy and to ensure that all relevant information, i.e. court dates, deadlines, dispositions and event postings are entered in accordance with established policies and procedures. This work involves constant coordination with the other various courthouse departments. Any problem or discrepancies involving computer data must be researched and corrected. The Quality Control Assignment Clerk plays an important role in ensuring the integrity of all computer case data.

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