State v. Santos

OPINION

KELLEHER, Justice.

The central question presented for our review in this appeal concerns the validity of the Superior Court’s common practice of allowing the senior principal deputy clerk of the Superior Court criminal division to issue arrest warrants over his own signature for the apprehension of defendants who have not paid required court costs or fines. The defendant, Linda Santos (Santos), challenges a warrant so issued for her arrest and seeks to have vacated the decision of a Superior Court trial justice adjudging her a probation violator. We reverse that portion of the Superior…