He gets to decide which defendants to sue".
The other violations for which defendants were convicted related to the making of local sales.
The process by which defendants' poster was created also undermines this argument.
Judges, not prosecutors, must be allowed to determine which defendants are eligible for alternatives to incarceration.
1,704 federal class actions filed between 2005 and 2014 in which defendants filed a motion to compel arbitration.
It would also prohibit plaintiffs from bringing lawsuits in state courts, which defendants often believe are more sympathetic to victims.
Judge Lippman also called for legislation that would essentially raise the age at which defendants in nonviolent cases are considered adults, to 18 from 16.
This data could be used to create a set of guidelines that would give judges a better sense of which defendants to release.
Trials, with their uncertain outcomes, were gradually crowded out by a system in which defendants pleaded guilty outside of the courtroom, they said.
But there is a group of intermediate offences, such as theft, for which defendants have the right to choose a jury trial.
Mr. Viorst said that Tuesday's dismissal applied only to the misdemeanor assault charge under which defendants have the right to be tried within 90 days.
