State v. Fajardo-Santos

The primary purpose in setting bail is to ensure a defendant’s presence at trial. With that in mind, judges consider various factors before fixing a specific amount of bail. If the circumstances underlying that decision change, an increase or reduction in bail may be appropriate.

In this case, after bail was set for an undocumented immigrant in a criminal case, federal authorities lodged a detainer against him. That set in motion a process that was expected to lead to defendant’s removal from the United States before trial. Next, after defendant had already posted a bond, the prosecutor…