State v. Ford

Appellant Mitchell G. Ford, a juvenile, challenges the statutory prohibition against application of the compromise of misdemeanor statute to juveniles, arguing that it violates the equal protection guarantees of the federal and state constitutions. The State presents the preliminary issue of whether the case is moot.1 We reach the merits and hold that the legislature’s classification is rationally related to the legitimate objective of rehabilitation of juveniles and does not violate equal protection. Ford argues alternatively that the case must be remanded because the trial court failed to…