Explaining Monday's Developments in Greg Hardy's Court Case

Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy was not at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse for his arraignment Monday. He was not required to appear.
Hardy’s lawyer, Chris Fialko, filed a waiver, signed by Hardy, with a not guilty plea.
In North Carolina, the district attorney has total docket control.
Cases are usually tried by the order in which the crime was allegedly committed. There are older cases ahead of Hardy’s that have not yet been tried.
In a slight surprise, instead of putting Hardy’s jury trial on the calendar for some time in 2015, the DA scheduled it to begin Nov. 17.
Fialko will ask the DA to move that date into 2015. If the DA refuses, Fialko’s next step will be to file a motion to continue with a judge.
If the DA AND the judge refuse the request, Hardy’s trial (expected to last one week) will start Nov. 17, the Monday of the Panthers’ bye week.
If the DA or the judge agree to move the date, the next options are one of three weeks in 2014 (Dec. 1, Dec. 8, Dec. 15) or sometime in 2015.
It’s still likely Hardy’s trial will be in 2015, but it could occur during the upcoming season if the DA AND the judge want to send a message that they won’t budge based on the wishes of a public figure.