What does early resolution as a court term mean?

Question

I noticed a new court date was set for my ex and it early resolution after it, which is in 3 weeks. What does this mean as a legal term?

Answer 1

I just practice in California and the terms like that differ even within the various counties in California. I've never seen a case set for a hearing called "early resolution." In my county, there is an early hearing called an "early status conference" which sounds similar. That being said, generally, early resolution means just that. It means that the case may be resolved early. In felonies, it can mean resolving a case before a preliminary hearing (kind of a mini-trial whereby the DA must present evidence of a defendant's guilty to get to trial). A late resolution would mean something that occurs close to trial. However, counties all over the US will have different terms for their various hearings.

Of course, setting something for an "early resolution" doesn't mean it will resolve early. But the vast majority of criminal cases do.