What May a court do if an attorney appears in court to represent a child defendant?

• A. Waive the presence of the parents
• B. Waive the presence of the child
• C. Handle the case through the mail
• D. None of the above

Answer: (D)

In juvenile proceedings, the court must protect the child’s right to participate and to have effective representation. An attorney’s appearance does not allow the court to bypass essential participants or skip the formal process. The child, as the party facing the charges, generally must be present so the judge can assess comprehension, demeanor, and responsiveness, and so counsel can advocate directly. Parental presence is also typically expected, with only limited reasons for excusal. Handling the case by mail would deprive the child of live participation, opportunity to object, and real-time communication with counsel. Given these protections, none of the listed actions is appropriate, so the situation would not be resolved by waiving the child’s or parents’ presence or by proceeding through the mail.