DOVER, Del. (AP) - Delaware court officials have abruptly changed the rules for handling drunken driving cases, bowing to pressure from the attorney general's office.
In a directive issued last week, Delaware's Supreme Court justices unanimously agreed to give prosecutors up to 150 days to dispose of DUI cases in the Court of Common Pleas. The previous rule called for case disposition within 90 days.
The justices also mandated case reviews for all DUI prosecutions in Common Pleas court.
The move comes after prosecutors complained about the handling of DUI cases by Court of Common Pleas judges in southern Delaware, where there are a disproportionate number of DUI arrests.
Meanwhile, prosecutors have carried through on a threat to bypass the Common Pleas court in Sussex County and indict misdemeanor DUI defendants in Superior Court.
