Must defendants request a jury trial if they want one?

• A. True.
• B. False.
• C. Only for felonies.
• D. In municipal court they cannot request a jury trial.

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that a jury trial is a protected right in criminal cases, but you don’t have to file a separate request to obtain it in every situation. In many courts, a jury trial is the default method for resolving a case, especially for more serious offenses, and the defendant can proceed with a jury trial unless they expressly waive that right to have a bench trial. So the statement that defendants must request a jury trial to get one isn’t universally true; the right can be automatic in some contexts or waived in others.