This is an excellent question, because usually when it comes to criminal defense, judges control the sentence, while prosecutors control what the charges are.  So, a lot of times a case can't be worked out or resolved because a defendant wants a misdemeanor and the prosecutors have charged him or her with a felony and they will not reduce the case down to a misdemeanor.

Therefore, the defendant will not take a deal on the case because they don't want to plead to a felony and be subjected to all of the penalties that come along with that, like the loss of your ability to bear arms, the loss of your ability to vote, the fact that you're typically going to be put on felony probation. There's a whole host of problems that come along with a felony.

So, the question becomes, when can the judge get involved and try to reduce a felony to a misdemeanor?  There are some circumstances where the judge can do it.  There's a  Penal Code 17(b)(5), which basically says that the judge has the authority to reduce a felony to a misdemeanor.

A lot of times what you need in order to try to get the judge to do that is you have to get the facts of the case in front of the judge.  Where that usually happens, at least in my experience, is when you do a preliminary hearing in front of the judge. The judge can see what the charge is all about, and then it's just a matter of them looking at the probation report in the case to see what the person's criminal record looks like.

Those are the two key ingredients that the judge needs to decide whether the case warrants a reduction from a felony to a misdemeanor.

At the end of a preliminary hearing, defense attorneys often step in to advocate for a reduction to a misdemeanor if the judge doesn't dismiss the case. This proactive approach can significantly impact the case's outcome.

When the judge reduces the case to a misdemeanor, it often paves the way for a more favorable resolution. The individual is no longer at risk of being placed on felony probation or facing the severe consequences of a felony conviction.

Defense Motion For a PC 17(b) Reduction to Misdemeanor

That's probably the biggest area where I see judges having the power and actually being willing to use the power is when the defense makes a motion for a 17(b)(5) under that Penal Code Section for the judge to reduce the case down to a misdemeanor.

It's at this point, after considering all the facts, that the judge usually exercises their authority to reduce a case from a felony to a misdemeanor. This reassures the defendant that their behavior and the circumstances of the case are being carefully weighed.

And that's really what they're looking at and weighing in, deciding whether to actually reduce a case from a felony to a misdemeanor — what happened in the case?  Is it felony conduct?  Does this person have a history of committing crimes where they really don't deserve to get a misdemeanor in the case?

How dangerous is the person?  And what other things can the defense point out to the judge that makes sense to reduce the case down to a misdemeanor.

Another area where I see judges having the power to reduce a felony to a misdemeanor is when somebody pleads to a felony—that's a wobbler. A wobbler is a term used to describe a crime that can be charged as either a felony or a misdemeanor, depending on the circumstances and the defendant's criminal history. This means it can be reduced down to a misdemeanor at some point, and at the end of probation, the person does everything they're supposed to.

They complete all of the terms and conditions and don't have any new arrests. A lot of times, the defense attorney can file a motion with the court at the end of probation to reduce the case to a misdemeanor. A lot of times, that's going to be granted if it's the right type of case to reduce to a misdemeanor. For instance, non-violent crimes or first-time offenses are often considered the right type of case. If the person was successful in their probation and didn't have any violations, the judge feels it's the right thing to do.