Criminal procedure
Arraignment
An arraignment is the hearing where the defendant is formally read the charges in the indictment and enters a plea of guilty or not guilty.
Almost every defendant pleads not guilty here, even those who expect to plead guilty later, because the arraignment happens before the defense has seen the evidence. The plea can be changed at a later hearing once a deal is reached or the discovery has been reviewed.
The arraignment also starts the trial clock under the Speedy Trial Act and is where the court sets the initial motions schedule. A superseding indictment triggers a fresh arraignment on the new charges.
In many districts the arraignment is short and procedural, handled by a magistrate judge in minutes. Its importance is administrative: it fixes the charges the defendant must answer, starts the motions calendar, and puts the case on a trial track that only a plea or a continuance will change.
How it appears on a docket
MINUTE ENTRY for Arraignment held 2/18/2026 as to Daniel R. Vance (1). Defendant entered a plea of NOT GUILTY to all counts. Pretrial motions due 4/1/2026.
Governing rule
Fed. R. Crim. P. 10
Related terms
- Indictment — An indictment is the formal written accusation, voted by a grand jury, that charges someone with a federal crime and starts the prosecution.
- Speedy Trial Act — The Speedy Trial Act sets deadlines for federal criminal cases: generally thirty days from arrest to indictment and seventy days from indictment or first appearance to trial.
More on criminal procedure
See this term in a real case
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