I get to go to traffic court today!

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Wish me luck! I hope the judge doesn't notice the fact that you can make out the outline of my Sealab 2021 t-shirt underneath my nice button-down officey shirt.

We'll see.

― Kingfish MuffMiner 2049er (Kingfish), Thursday, 3 February 2005 19:52 (twenty-one years ago)

And all because the cops decided to set up a trap that night a month ago to enforce a license plate rule they never do otherwise! I was so lucky to be there at that time!

― Kingfish MuffMiner 2049er (Kingfish), Thursday, 3 February 2005 19:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Traffic Court is a hoot! Especially the sassy lady bailliffs. No wait, I'm thinking of Night Court.

― Huk-L, Thursday, 3 February 2005 19:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Also, never be a lady bailiff and smoke. They went thru 3 bailiffs that way!

― Kingfish MuffMiner 2049er (Kingfish), Thursday, 3 February 2005 19:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I had a friend who appealed his ticket all the way up to about as high as you can go in traffic court. he won. I guess that made the tens of thousands spent on law school worth the couple hundred bucks he saved on that ticket.

― Dude, are you a 15 year old asian chick? (jingleberries), Thursday, 3 February 2005 21:56 (twenty-one years ago)

MY TRAFFIC COURT STORY:

Was busted for parking in a poorly-marked handicapped space near my college campus during a rainy winter night. (Poorly-marked = outside of a small sign in front of the space obscured by tree branches, it looked like any other space.) Appealed, went to the court (hard hitting New Britain, y'all), ended up 2nd-to-last in the queue to be served. The appeals were heard in a courtroom, but the woman handling these "cases" sat at a table to the left of the judge's bench. She also took her job very seriously - I was hoping to use my charm & je ne sais quoi to get the $100+ fine expunged, but when she read the riot act to just about everyone re: moving violations / not having a valid license / drinking & driving / giggling inappropriately (even throwing a girl OUT because she couldn't stop laughing), I opted to just shut the eff up when my turn came. Between her lengthy diatribes, and the 15-minute comedy routine undertaken between her & some clueless middle-aged guy that couldn't remember what he was there for, whose car he was in when the cops found him, or when he last had a valid license, it took about 2 hours before I got to go up. Stated my case (dark, late for class, no distinguishing paint on asphalt, small sign in front of space I didn't notice), was reprimanded for taking a spot away from a specially enabled person, and had fine reduced to $50. Total time in front of "judge" = 3 minutes.

And, then, of course, I go out to my card to find that the parking meter ran out & I have to pay $25 for that. Karma, she is a tight-fisted beeotch.

THE END

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 3 February 2005 22:07 (twenty-one years ago)

That is, unless you all think I'm rollin' in a Hallmark, I went out to my CAR.

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 3 February 2005 22:08 (twenty-one years ago)

ok i'm back! i didn't even talk to a judge! i waited in line to talk to the cashier lady, who told me that i could enter a plea of not guilty and THEN i could have an arraignment in which they would reduce or excuse the sentence.

so, i spent about the last 1.45 hours driving to downtown, driving around downtown, wandering around the overheated courthouse, then getting caught in traffic whilst driving back to work from downtown.

― Kingfish MuffMiner 2049er (Kingfish), Thursday, 3 February 2005 22:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I got busted for jaywalking once...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 3 February 2005 22:26 (twenty-one years ago)

I was doing 35 on a 25, and did a Hollywood Stop instead of a complete one = $350 USD + 8 hrs at Traffic School on my day off!!!

― thomas Harding, Thursday, 3 February 2005 22:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I just paid a ticket for driving with my lights off. I had left the Target parking lot and gone 3-4 blocks, then noticed and turned them on, and only then does the cop turn on his lights to stop me. OK, maybe driving at night with no lights is a sign of being drunk/stoned or up to no good, so I'm OK with being stopped after I had them on so he can size me up. After talking a bit, taking my license back to his car, etc he still lays a $114 ticket on me. Bastard!

― nickn (nickn), Friday, 4 February 2005 00:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Total time in front of "judge" = 3 minutes.

i was gonna say, i've seen dwi arraignments go faster.

― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 4 February 2005 00:45 (twenty-one years ago)

I've fought a lot of tickets to varying degrees of success.

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Friday, 4 February 2005 01:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I was busted for 46 in a 35 zone once stone cold sober at 2 on a Sunday morning (the cop was disappointed that I wasn't drunk and was kind of a jerk about it) and went to court to see what could be done. I got lucky, as the Trooper's vehicle had burned up because of an engine fire about a week before the court date, and as his notebook was in the car, he had no evidence against the 10 or 15 folks he'd busted who were in the courtroom with me that day. You'd plead not guilty, the cop would say "I have no further evidence beyond the ticket I issued, Your Honor", and you'd be found not guilty.

The woman called just before I was didn't quite seem to be able to figure this out.

Judge: Ms. M., how do you plead?

Ms. M.: Your Honor, I FEEL that I'm not guilty, but I'm gonna go ahead and plead guilty.

J: I see. Ma'am, I don't know if you've noticed, but I've just found a whole lot of people before you not guilty because the officer here doesn't have any evidence. Now, how would you like to plead again?

M: Your Honor, I FEEL that I'm not guilty, but I'm gonna go ahead and plead guilty.

J: OK. (turning to Trooper) Officer, if we were to have a trial today and I were ask you to present evidence against Ms. M., would you be able to do so?

Trooper: No, Your Honor.

J: And why is that?

T: That's because my notes from the evening I gave this woman a ticket were lost in a vehicle fire.

J: I see. But we can't have a trial if Ms. M. pleads guilty, right, Officer?

T: [uncomfortably] I'm not a lawyer, Your Honor, but that's my understanding.

J: That's my understanding, too. So having heard all of this, Ms. M., I'm going to ask you one more time: HOW DO YOU PLEAD?

M: [impatiently] Your Honor, I told you before, I FEEL like I'm not guilty, but ... [A DA who happens to be in the courtroom whispers something in her ear. Uncertainly, to the Judge:] uh, motion to dismiss?

J: GRANTED! CASE DISMISSED! [bangs gavel]

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Friday, 4 February 2005 10:58 (twenty-one years ago)

I often set off at night and get half-way down the street before I remember to turn the lights on, usually when I realise I can't see any of the dashboard needles. Fortunately, we don't have many traffic cops around here.

― caitlin (caitlin), Friday, 4 February 2005 11:06 (twenty-one years ago)

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