What is a status hearing in a criminal case?

A status hearing in a criminal case is a pre-trial conference made in an effort to resolve the case without it having to go to trial. It generally takes place with the judge, the prosecution, the defendant and the defendant's lawyer in attendance.

According to LawAccess, the judge assesses the case facts and determines if the charge is appropriate, if the defendant should enter a change of plea, if the prosecution should change the summary of facts and gives an indication of the sentence if the plea changes to one of guilt. The judge essentially assesses the case strengths and weaknesses at the status hearing.