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?
Did you fix the problem? If so, just show that you fixed it and they will probably drop it.
If you haven’t fixed the problem, be prepared to explain yourself.
In any case, be prepared to deal with the fine immediately. Even if you have to use credit. Judges never want to hear that you cannot pay a fine same day.
As far as the logistics: There will be a docket posted. Probably electronic, on TV panels. Find your name and it will show you your courtroom. Go there and check in with the clerk. Ask them what to do, it’s probably, “just have a seat and wait your turn.”
GL, it’s not a big deal for something like an expired license.
There’s no way I can deal with the fime immediately. That’s kind of information is exactly what I was asking about…
I live paycheck to paycheck. I don’t get paid again until next week.
They really expect people to pay the unknown fine immediately?
You can ask for reduced fines and a payment plan. Take proof of income if you have it.
I don’t think that’s what they expect, but my impression is from a traffic court YouTube video. You can probably tell the judge that you will pay it by the end of the week at least.
Yes, but if you are really that bad off state ‘i missed the notice because I am housing insicure. I have little money after rent so I ask the court to show mercy’. A lawyer can word that better but something like that. If this is a first offense they may let you off with a warning.
I wouldn’t say you’re housing insecure unless that’s true.
He implied it was true. For sure don’t lie or even give an appearance of a lie.
Yes they do. It’s not a show stopper if you can’t pay, just be honest. “No sir/ma’am, I cannot pay that today as I live paycheck to paycheck. May I set up a payment plan with the clerk?”
Judges see it all the time and really since you don’t have any actual charges there’s nothing they can or will do to you.
I have been assigned public service for the same offense when I could not pay my fine. I worked at a food shelter for a couple of days (sorting donations, packing bags with cans, etc) and was good. You may ask the judge or public defender if that’s an option.
It’s a bit late now, but you should have immediately renewed your license after receiving the ticket. Your best defense would have been “I forgot, but I have already renewed it”. Since you didn’t do that, and you don’t have an attorney, and court is tomorrow, I’d just be honest, and let them know that you will go from the courthouse immediately to the DMV, or DoL, or whatever it’s called where you live, and renew it. Hopefully they don’t suspend your license for driving without a license. Other than that, get there on time, dress nice, comb your hair, don’t be intoxicated, or on any drugs, and refer to the judge as Your Honor. Good luck.
If it was me, I would go in, dressed smart casual, be on time, polite, own up to the issue, say sorry I forgot to get it renewed and I hadn’t realized it needed doing, inform the judge of any mitigating circumstances that might have distracted you and ask that because it’s your first offence if they could be lenient as there were no other aggravating factors (speeding, drunk, crashed car with injuries rtc).
Was the car or truck in pretty good condition ?. It’s what I’d try if all indications are you are an otherwise legal and safe driver. I’m not asking for you to answer to me, but they seem relevant to a judge. I hope things work out ok for you.
The only other thing I could think of is if someone could be a character witness but the court might not want to hear them.
Maybe you have a good reason to ask for the fine to be waived if you have sick kids etc, or have been saving for a worthwhile cause and this would be a major setback or a penalty like losing your license would make you unable to work or look after kids.
If you are pleasant and don’t make things harder then they might have discretion to adjust the penalty and decide to do so. But the law might also be written so the judge has no say in the penalty or a minimum penalty is required.
I know of some drivers over here if they have an established safe driving record they can write and ask for a speeding fine to be reviewed and possibly waived (if it was just a few kms over, cant see it work gor 30km/h+ over).
I think there’s also been a few cases where people who would otherwise have their license suspended over here get an exemption for work etc.
Maybe you have a good reason to ask for the fine to be waived if you have sick kids etc, or have been saving for a worthwhile cause and this would be a major setback or a penalty like losing your license would make you unable to work or look after kids.
Judge waived a ticket for me because it would have made me unable to work.
Also, to be fair it was a bullshit ticket. Raining, slick road, spun out, solo accident. Doing the speed limit, not distracted or intoxicated. But county laws say that every accident gets a ticket for negligent driving, regardless of circumstances.
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?
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.
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.
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.
Dress as well as you can, be on time or a little early, don’t piss off the judge.
Be honest.
if you’re wanting to talk to somebody before hand… they should have a public defender you can speak to. Bring relevant paperwork.
Be prepared for the public defender to ask you two questions then shun you the rest of the day while they tend to their other 30 clients that day
Do I need a public defender? I didn’t intentionally do anything wrong I just didn’t know my license was expired? I’ve got a clean record it was just a mistake.
I’ve not known traffic court to use attorneys but your jurisdiction may vary
Dude it’s your first offense. Just go in there dressed nice, when asked, plead guilty with a request for leniency while being completely honest. They will most likely give you a slap on the wrist and make you pay for the court fees. That’s it.
Don’t know where you are from but at least in 🦅 country you have a right to counsel. Thats works out to usually being assigned counsel (public defender) as soon as possible in the interest of justice. For a standard ticket you will probably have this settled within two court dates, your fees and other associated charges may not be so nice.
You only have that right when it’s a charge with a certain amount of weight, like prison time or a felony.
Any “Serious crime” which the SCOTUS delineated long ago as anything where you may face more than 6 months incarceration which lines up with just about anything.
Oh you’d be surprised what they’ve stuck under it. For example there’s a whole cottage industry in sending people to prison for being unable to pay debt. Said debt was incurred on a misdemeanor with no prison time so there was no lawyer and the debtor’s prison isn’t a trial so there’s still no lawyer.
In most traffic courts, you don’t really need a lawyer unless it’s a serious and/or criminal offense.
I’d still take one if that’s an option. A lawyer isn’t just somebody to defend you. They’re the ones best suited to guide you through the legal process.
You want the court to know it was a mistake? Ok, here’s how we argue that in such a way that it’s not admitting fault for some other legal aspect you need to be mindful of. And here’s a point we can make to see if they’ll change it to this other violation that has less of a penalty or doesn’t result in large premium increases with your insurance.
That’s something to consider. I just don’t want to seem like I’m being difficult to the judge.
If you know a lawer ask, but odds are they wilh say you are better off without them for something this small.
Having representation isn’t difficult. And actually helps streamline the process for the court.
You’re not walking in there with high power lawyers after arguing for weeks about various things.
If there’s a PD you can listen to them and follow their advice. They’re so overworked it won’t be as effective as having your own but will still be better than none.
Probably not. By the sounds of it, it’s “just” traffic court… You’ll be herded into a courtroom with a couple dozen others, and each of you will be called in turn to speak to the judge. Kinda like a pop quiz. You’ll be told your charge and be asked a few questions. If you’re polite and genuine you’ll likely get off easy, since people LOVE to fight back and dig their hole deeper.
Back in high school I was in a similar situation, and basically got it completely dismissed because I was young and it was my first ever infraction.
IANAL
Yeah,.even ignoring the joke comments that are funny, alot of people are saying I should fight. I doubt that would be a good idea. It was an honest mistake and I’ve got a clean record. I think being honest is my best bet.
depends on your state but generally fighting will cost you a lot oi time and you lose anyway - then the judge mad at the waste of time throws the max fine or even jail at you. Just plead guilty pay the $50 fine and move on - it probably will be that cheap.
I went to court for a traffic ticket and the cop didn’t show up, so I didn’t get charged with anything. Poof, gone. Just be honest and courteous and you’ll be as fine as you can be given the situation.
Traffic court, while yes it’s a court of law, is a bit more relaxed. Judges have far more leeway and they have a long docket.
You’re not the only one being seen and the judge wants to go home on time.
Be honest, courteous. In the rare event that the police officer starts saying things that are completely egregious, plead the fifth and ask for a continuance. Tell the judge that these facts are new to you and you’ll need time to assert a defense.
The judge may ask what you thought the charges were. Say something along the lines of, “Without waiving my fifth amendment right to self incrimination, my understanding is that I’m being charged for driving with an expired license.”
But this should be rare. Judges don’t like surprises either.
Again, remember that this is traffic court. Everyone is busy. If you’re a dick, they won’t have patience for you.
if you didn’t go to jail, not that big of a deal. get it fixed, go to court and explain. mistakes happen, you didn’t run anyone over. you might get a fine, shit happens.
it’s public too, go to your local court during traffic court, you can sit in. usually early morning, listen to other cases and see how it works, then you’ll have a better idea.
get it fixed
I’ve heard of people having luck going in with their renewed license. I can’t attest to it personally, and of course your mileage may vary
this is what I’d do. especially if it was an honest mistake, fix it, show you’re not a problem, move on.
You might not even get a public defender. Is an expired license at the same level as a speeding ticket in your area? If so, your government might only assign public defenders to ‘criminal’ charges with potential jail times. Just be aware of that before you start desperately trying to find one that doesn’t ‘exist.’
When I used to work in a prosecutor’s office, in a situation like this where the person has a clean record and comes in for an expired license, as long as you renewed the license before your court date, we would just dismiss the charges as long as you’re respectful of the court and the process. Dress well. If court opens at 9:00 a.m., get there at 8:30 a.m.
You will see defense attorneys milling about. You could ask one of them where to go to talk to a prosecutor. Usually prosecutors would start calling cases at 8:30 a.m. to make deals and see what defenses people are going to raise before the judge began calling the docket.
Just talk about how squeaky clean your record is and how you didn’t know your license was expired, how you went and got it renewed as soon as you found out, and you’d appreciate it if they’d dropped on your promise never to meet again.
I assume this is not for a trial appearance. This is a preliminary proceeding. Procedure may be completely different in your state.
I am not your lawyer.
I went once for something similar - maybe registration - i can’t remember. I got there early and asked the clerk what to do. Before court started someone came out and made a deal for me to pay half the ticket, plus court fee (like $30) and get it resolved. Went with my DIL who had her license suspended many many times. Clerk helped us get the hardship paperwork and the judge was firm about following the rules but nice about explaining them.
Dress fairly nice. No shorts, no wacky t-shirts
Also works for the other kind of courting.
Go to the dmv asap to get the license, ideally before court. If you get it done, show your new license to the court and they will dismiss your case, (hopefully)
How’d it go?
You might not even go to open court for this. A lot of times for minor traffic offenses there’s just a standard deal they give you.
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.
How’d it go?
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)
Be humble, apologetic and polite. Explain the facts, don’t offer opinions.
If it was just a traffic ticket you can hire a traffic lawyer for fairly cheap if you don’t want to go to court or would like the comfort of someone there for you who does this often. In CA, I’ve seen this typically cost around $50 for handling a traffic ticket. They can get most tickets dismissed or at the very least the fine reduced. If a cop no shows it gets dismissed.
Best to get it renewed asap though as previous commenters suggested, then it becomes a non-issue, so a trip to the DMV might be a good idea. I’d head your DMV website since the address varies depending on the state you’re in. Renewing a REAL ID may require you take a short refresher course and provide two documents that prove residency, one that proves identity (US Passport, previous license, SSA card, etc) they’ll tell you what you need on there though.
Why could an expired license possibly require court? It’s an administrative issue at best, should require a 50 dollar fine for the mistake and we all move on
The US legal system is a giant abusive mess
Agreed. Unfortunately this is what happens when you attach dollar amounts to key performance indicators for effectiveness with policing. Fines = revenue for government so they try where they can. It’s why carpool lanes are so heavily policed here. The base fine rate is higher.
Oh you are in for a treat. I spent time in the local jail when I was much younger, and was surprised that some of my fellow inmates were in there for some absurd things. The two that stick out are:
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Driving without a license - apparently if you do this more than once, good chance they will just take you jail and impound your car, and if you can’t afford bail you wait until court, which is weeks or months.
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Unpaid child support - I actually have no idea the logic here. You have unpaid child support, so we will put you in jail, charge you 30$ per day to be paid upon release for “housing”, and guarantee you have no way to earn money.
The bail and housing fees are not actually specific to those crimes, it applies to all crimes but really compounds things in some situations.
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