Drunk driving charges are a serious matter, and before any DWI charge is tried in a court of law, the accused is innocent until proven guilty. The accused also has the right to a fair trial and due process. These rights assure that someone accused of a crime is given a fair and balanced attempt to prove their defense.

This is important for Maryland residents to consider, because just to our north a judge is threatening the civil liberties of Pennsylvania citizens by taking away the driver's licenses of accused DWI offenders if they take their case to trial.

The controversial tactics employed by the judge is being done in an effort to speed up DWI cases in his county. It appears the tactic is meant to induce a guilty plea or force the defendant to settle the case out of court or through diversionary programs. The judge says he takes the license to protect the public, but it seems that he is presuming the defendant is guilty before the trial even begins.

A 25-year-old woman in the judge's county says she is being wrongfully accused of a drunk driving offense. She requested for her day in court, set for February, but until then the judge revoked her driver's license - making it difficult for the accused woman to get to work. Her defense attorney criticized the judge's ways. "Isn't taking the license a presumption of guilt?," he said

Some believe any appeal by those who had their licenses revoked by this judge would be upheld. To be punished for seeking a fair trial is an obstruction of basic civil rights, and by taking away the driver's license of a DWI defendant, the judge is effectively presuming that the accused is guilty until proven innocent.

Source: The Morning Call, "Policy of taking licenses before a DUI conviction draws critics," Riley Yates, Jan. 28, 2012