I know the obvious of being polite and respectful. do I show up early like an airport? Do I just show the guard my ticket? Anything I should know or be aware of?
If you don’t know what to do currently, just plead not guilty. For a traffic ticket they’ll schedule a bench trial. This gives you some more time to work things out. Talking to a public defender can help but also talking to the prosecutor can help too. They want things to be quick and easy. If they think you might try to actually fight it, they’ll try to appease you with less of a punishment or even none at all. One time I had a speeding ticket dismissed and no points on my license if I plead guilty to careless driving and paid the fine.
How does that work In this situation tho? My license is expired and I was driving. How could I say not guilty? Wouldn’t that just piss the judge off?
If that pisses the judge off, they are a bad judge. If they are a bad judge, getting out of their court as quickly as possible is your best bet. If they aren’t a bad judge however, then that shouldn’t piss them off at all. You say you didn’t know it was expired. How long ago did it expire? Why were you pulled over initially?
Right now you’re innocent, assuming you’re in the US or other former English colony. The judge is presuming you’re Innocent. It’s the cops contention that you were driving with an expired license and they may(do) have evidence to that claim, but until you admit to that in court, youre innocent. It’s not illegal to assert your right to be presumed innocent, and it’s not illegal to argue a poor case at a later date.
I wouldn’t listen to this advice, personally. Driving with an expired license is more black and white than speeding. With speeding could have been other cars around that the radar was picking up, the radar might not have been calibrated recently, the cop might decide it’s not worth showing up.
I’ve pleaded not guilty to several speeding tickets and got some dismissed and some reduced (I lived in a rural area as a college student and they made a lot of money that way)
One time my sister got a ticket and asked me the process to expect when you plead not guilty so I told her - but I didn’t know she got the ticket in a school zone. When she got there the cop got up on the stand and ran through his certification to operate the radar and when it was last inspected and they asked her how she could explain that she could possibly be not guilty and she got whatever the big fee was. (Which I assume she would have had to pay anyways but without the embarrassment)
It’s not in dispute that your license is expired, and I would think hard to dispute that you got pulled over while driving. Given those two facts I don’t see an advantage to pleading not guilty, you might just annoy the judge, which decreases likelihood of lenience.
you might just annoy the judge,
I covered that with the part about a bad judge. Additionally, nothing stops them from changing their plea to guilty after the fact. Their court date is tomorrow. This will give them time. After that, even if OP was guilty and caught dead to rights, they could get the case dismissed if there wasn’t a valid reason to pull them over. Sure that might be unlikely, but possible. Lastly, the cop might not even show up.
Don’t bother pleading not guilty unless you have an attorney. It grants you (your attorney) time to negotiate with prosecutors to plead guilty to a lesser charge or similar. But an expired license is about the lowest charge you can get.
Traffic court is very routine. People get up, hear the charge, mostly plead guilty/no contest, hear their sentence (usually a fine, probably under $200 depending), and get pointed to where they can pay. You negotiate payment terms at the later office.
It will help to show how you’re going to address the original issue. Even just having an appointment at the DMV, which you can probably book online.
Sweet summer child, just be honest and forthcoming. Admit fault, pay your fine. Be the person that contributes to our society instead of the downfall.
Be honest and respectful, but don’t admit more fault than you need to. Yeah, you fucked up driving with an expired license. Admit to that and be humble. The judge is dealing with much worse than that even just that day. If you’re not an ass, the judge may be nice if you’re lucky. However, don’t admit to other things that can’t be proven. They are required to prove that you did something wrong, which obviously the license thing is easy and there isn’t a doubt over. If they try to make you admit it’s intentional or anything else, you don’t have to say anything.
Ok, here’s what you do. Basic step 1, and I can’t believe I even have to say this…but you GOTTA show up 45 minutes late, and completely wasted. Wearing clothes that have been worn daily for years, but never once washed.
Then, you INSIST there’s no drugs in your system, and you’ll give them a free urine sample right now! That’s when you whip out your cock, and power wash the judges face with your urine from 10 feet away.
Next…you need to INSIST you know the legal proceedings of a court better than the judge, the baliff, the cops in the courthouse, any public defenders or lawyers in attendance. YOU get to tell THEM what to do. Rememer, you’re entitled to everything you demand. They’ll respect you so much more for knowing how these things work. You’d be surprised how many disrespectful assholes show up in a suit, with combed hair, and brushed teeth, totally sober! It’s a disgrace that they would accept responsibility by saying they made a mistake, and plead no contest. How do they expect to have anal sex with the judge, and super models, and do cocaine, when there’s no reason for them to fear you. That’s how the world works!
With this new solid advice, I had an idea and wanted to check with you.
When they call my name should I ignore it, as to not seem too desperate.
When they call my name again should I say “daaaaamn I heard you the first time! My license is expired not my hearing. Chill you’re shit nigga” (to clarify I’m unambiguously white)
Tell the judge you’re a sovereign citizen and he has no authority over you. If they try to touch you, just call “help! I’m being kidnapped!”
Don’t wear a shirt, cover yourself with some form of grease, you MUST bring a goose (anger level is up to you) and last but certainly not least, you have to walk in the court room singing the opening lines of Get Low by lil Jon.
Glad I asked I had no idea. Do I need to make the hand motions when I get to “skeet skeet godamn”
