
n. in criminal law, a hearing to determine if a person charged with a felony (a serious crime punishable by a term in the state prison) should be tried for the crime charged, based on whether there is some substantial evidence that he/she committed the crime. A preliminary hearing is held in the lowest local court (municipal or police court), but o...
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http://dictionary.law.com/Default.xhtml?selected=1580

Within some criminal justice systems, a preliminary hearing (evidentiary hearing) is a proceeding, after a criminal complaint has been filed by the prosecutor, to determine whether there is enough evidence to require a trial. In the United States, the judge must find there is probable cause that a crime was committed. In Scotland, a Preliminary He...
Found on
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preliminary_hearing

See Initial Appearance.
Found on
http://jec.unm.edu/manuals-resources/glossary-of-legal-terms

(from the article `procedural law`) Anglo-American procedure traditionally divides lawsuits into two stages: the pretrial stage and the trial stage. At the pretrial stage, the parties ... In the United States the prosecutor presents evidence at a hearing before a grand jury, which may or may not return an indictment for trial. In most ....
Found on
http://www.britannica.com/eb/a-z/p/108

In the court of law where criminal cases are concerned, the proceeding known as preliminary hearing, takes place before the judicial officer, after the prosecutor files a criminal lawsuit against the defendant.This initial hearing takes place to determine whether the accused defendant has commited any crime, and whether the crime has been commited ...
Found on
http://www.encyclo.co.uk/local/21213

Legal proceeding used in some states in which a prosecutor presents evidence to a judge in an attempt to show that there is probable cause that a person committed a crime. If the judge is convinced probable cause exists to charge the person, then the prosecution proceeds to the next phase. If not, the charges are dropped.
Found on
http://www.lectlaw.com/def2/p073.htm

In criminal law, a hearing to determine if a person charged with a felony (a serious crime punishable by a term in the state prison) should be tried for the crime charged. To bind the defendant over for trial, the judge must decide that there is substantial evidence that the defendant committed the offense.
Found on
http://www.nolo.com/dictionary/preliminary-hearing-term.html

Hearing at which judge determines whether evidence is sufficient against a person charged with a crime to warrant holding him/her for trial. Compare initial appearance.
Found on
http://www.pacourts.us/learn/legal-glossary

A hearing in which the Judge ensures that the parties understand what they must do to comply with any directions and offers guidance on such matters as the use of an expert witness. This hearing is before the final hearing
Found on
https://www.encyclo.co.uk/local/20911
No exact match found.