When may the court proceed to trial using the citation as the charging instrument?

• A. The court may go to trial on a citation when the defense and prosecution agree in writing to go to trial on the citation and file the agreement with the court.
• B. The court may go to trial at the judge's whim without agreement
• C. Only after a preliminary hearing
• D. Only if the defendant pleads guilty

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that a case can be tried using the citation as the charging document only when both sides mutually consent in writing to proceed that way and file that agreement with the court. This written agreement shows that the defense agrees to waive some of the formal charging process and allows the case to be heard based on the citation itself, usually for minor offenses. It isn’t a judge’s whim, and it doesn’t depend on a preliminary hearing or a guilty plea. The defendant can still contest the charge, but the path to trial rests on that written agreement and its filing with the court, which creates a formal record of consent to proceed by citation.