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Magistrate Court - Mandatory Court Ticket

This type of citation is a “mandatory-court” citation. These citations and the accompanying police reports are submitted to the Prosecutor for review. The prosecutor may file any charge that he believes is supported by the evidence; he is not bound by the citation. The prosecutor may also decline to file any charge at all.

If the prosecutor files a charge against you, you will receive a notice to appear before the U.S. District Court, which is located at 500 State Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas. Your first appearance is called an initial appearance at which your constitutional rights will be explained, as well as the maximum punishment for the offense. Due to limited court days, this appearance may be approximately two to four months after you were issued a citation.

If you are financially unable to afford an attorney, a public defender may be appointed to represent you. As a matter of policy (which can change at any time), the public defender consults with every defendant.