Opinion ID: 2621619
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Ninety-Day Time Limit for the District Court to Schedule a Hearing

Text: ¶ 29 Schwenke further argues that the district court hearing was inappropriate because it was scheduled too far out of time. Rule 25 requires that [i]f an objection is filed by OPC counsel, the district court shall, within ninety (90) days of the filing of the petition, conduct a hearing. RLDD 25(g). Schwenke filed his Petition on July 3, 2001. The district court scheduled and held a hearing on October 24, 2001, twenty-three days beyond the ninety-day time limit specified by the rule. Schwenke argues that, because the hearing was scheduled outside of the ninety-day time limit, there should have been no hearing at all, and the district court should have reviewed his Petition without a formal hearing. We disagree. ¶ 30 Rule 25 clearly requires the district court to schedule a hearing where, as here, the OPC timely files an objection to the petition for readmission. The question, then, is what remedy should be afforded the potential readmittee when the district court fails to hold the hearing within the specified ninety-day time period. We think that the appropriate remedy in such instances is not, as Schwenke suggests, to have no hearing at all, but rather for the district court to schedule a hearing as soon as possible. We emphasize that the ninety-day time limit required under the rule is not without meaning. The district court is expected to do its utmost to meet these deadlines in a timely fashion. However, a district court's failure, for whatever reason, to comply with this rule does not supersede the court's obligation to ensure that unqualified individuals are not admitted to the Bar. Therefore, in cases involving admission to practice, a required hearing, though out of time, should nevertheless be scheduled as soon as the court's calendar will allow. ¶ 31 This is precisely what occurred in this case. The matter was transferred to the Third District Court on August 28, 2001. Neither party requested a hearing, nor made any effort to move the matter along on the district court's calendar. Consequently, the district court, on its own motion, set a time for a scheduling conference to get the matter moving, and subsequently scheduled the hearing for October 24, 2001, just over three weeks after the ninety days had expired. ¶ 32 Thus, it was proper for the district court to hold a hearing on the matter and to consider the OPC's Opposition in addition to Schwenke's Petition in evaluating whether Schwenke should be readmitted to the Bar. Because Schwenke elected not to present any additional evidence at the hearing, the district court was necessarily left with only these documents and the Recommendation of the Character and Fitness Committee on which to make its determination. The district court complied with the procedural requirements of rule 25 and, based on the evidence before it, properly denied Schwenke's Petition.