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Damn, what city do you live in, Highland Park?
So last month I got a ticket for 65 in a 40 cause I was late to work. Well if it's 25mph over, my city won't let you take defensive driving or get probation. So I went up to the courts to pay the fine of $233 and the chick said that an alternative method is to talk to the judge in court to see if I can get it reduced.
It would allow me to have a 3 month probation before it gets wiped off my record, instead of 3 years of increased insurance rates. My court date is tomorrow at 8am and its my first one ever. Any tips on talking to the judge? I have some hope because the clerk said its usually about 50/50 on who gets lowered. I assume if I say the right things, he will reduce my punishment
Damn, what city do you live in, Highland Park?
McKinney tbh
Just smooth talk the judge and hope he's not in a bad mood.
The fact this is your first time getting ticketed bows well for you.
Just dont make the "I was late for work" excuse because the only thing you'll get from the judge is, "I've heard that line before."
Fez up to speeding and say you wont do it again. Honesty works best in these cases, trust me.
Damn Mega-Burbs
had something similar.
He offered to lower it with the 3 month probation deal. I didn't really talk to him much, it looked like everyone was being offered to either pay it all in full there or do the probation.
What do I plead though? Guilty or not guilty?
Just a lil nervous cause I never been in court before so I don't know what I'm doing
So I should plead guilty and just admit I was speeding and politely say it won't happen again? Tell him it's my first ticket and I'm usually a good driver?
ehhhh I don't think you have to plea guilty or not guilty unless you want to get a lawyer and fight it.What do I plead though? Guilty or not guilty?
Just a lil nervous cause I never been in court before so I don't know what I'm doing
I had a speeding/ no proof of insurance combo. I brought in my insurance and they dropped that then gave me the payment plan with 3 mo's probation to drop it off my record.
Dont be that dense.
You have to realize these judges do this every day. Lying your way through is not the best idea because they'll pick up on it and call bull .
If you're lucky enough than the judge himself will offer some type of deal like he did with Trill but otherwise put your sad face on and plead your case imo.
Pretty much this. Don't try to BS the judge, or try to insinuate that the cop was in the wrong. Unless the judge is a total prick, or you have a history of speeding tickets, you got a decent shot at probation imo.
Dress professionally. Last time I had one of these I went to court in a full suit and they ended up throwing it out before the case was called because the officer "didn't remember the details of the case." A lot of the other people (same officer) were dressed and acted like morons and the cases proceeded. Don't dress and act like a moron. :-)
That said, you're in McKinney where they like to be tough on crime. Be polite, respectful, and when your case is called asked the judge for deferred adjudication due to it being your first offense and the fact that you realize you made a mistake in breaking the law. If you have been driving for "X" years without a ticket or accident be sure to mention that.
All that said, there IS the risk that your request will not be granted; not only will you have to pay the full fine, but you'll have to pay court costs.
You should probably get tatted up like D Stevenson first. I'm sure the judge would see you're harmless and let you walk.
Two routes:
The nice route: Show up in court tomorrow, be honest, act sorry, etc. Bring up work only if he asks you why you were speeding, and say that you'll plead guilty and attand traffic school if it gets pled down to civil speeding (since I'm assuming this was criminal speeding which is why you can't go to traffic school for it). Be prepared though, because if you go this route by being apologetic and admitting guilt, there's no turning back.
Fighting it: If you wanna gamble and try to clear it completely, then the first thing to do is file for a 60 day extension today. If you've never gotten one before it shouldn't be a problem and your court date won't be for another 60 days. This makes it so the officer who gave the ticket is more likely to lose track of information regarding your ticket. In the meantime during these 60 days you can change your mind and go the other route once your new court date happens.
On the new court date, you'll plead not guilty and then a hearing date will be set (before you plead not guilty, figure out what's gonna happen if you lose though and can no longer plead, because pleading not guilty is the point of no return). Wait till a few days before the hearing and if you haven't heard anything, ask for the hearing to be delayed for some bull reason. Make the delay as long as possible. If in the event you do hear from them and the cop wants to change the date of the hearing, refuse to change the date because you've already cleared your schedule for that day and you have the right to a speedy trial. Most likely if the cop can't get the date changed, he'll file a request to dismiss since it means he doesn't wanna be in court that day.
At this point there's a really good chance it doesn't make it this far, but in the event it actually makes it to a trial where the cop shows up and a judge hears it, there are tons of questions you can badger the cop with and site supreme court rulings that say the cop needs to be able to provide certain things (i.e. proof his radar gun was working and tested correctly).
If you plead not guilty hit me up on facebook and I'll send you the information I gathered for a ticket awhile back. The cop was a no show but especially with criminal speeding where you need to be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt some of these questions are useful.
Oh and the one excuse to NEVER make, whether it's a cop, judge, etc., is that "everyone else was going just as fast." Cops have heard that one 1,000 times and know how to make the people arguing that defense look stupid. Judges also hate that excuse and basically dismiss any chance at clearing everything once you use it.
If I were to go the nice route, what's the worst that can happen, be denied of getting it reduced?
Yes, but if this is your first speeding ticket and if you act/dress professionally, the chances of the judge not reducing it are slim. It's the much safer route than fighting it. Only reason I fought my last speeding ticket was because a) I couldn't go to traffic school again and b) it was in some backwater town between Tucson and Phoenix where I know the cop was two thirds to a re and wouldn't give a .
If you can still file for a 60 day extension though to reschedule the court date I don't see how that does any harm. Try calling over to the court and requesting it, I've done it by phone before.
You are going down a bad road. Next thing you know, you'll be a 30-year-old who works at Taco Bell and raises a son who isn't his.
lol its just traffic court, he doesn't have to wear a suit.
This too. CubanMustGo iirc is in his 40s (could be wrong), so a middle aged guy wearing a suit to traffic court didn't look weird. Someone Lincoln's age wearing a suit to traffic court could rub a judge the wrong way.
When I dealt with my ticket last year, I went to court in slacks and a button down dress shirt with no tie or suit. Someone 25 or younger should do that, anything more is overkill and could come off as arrogant. Chances are, Lincoln doesn't wear suits very often so he wouldn't look like someone comfortable wearing one. That affects body language which is really important for court.
Wearing a suit however is better than dressing like someone who thuggin' and buggin' like other people do for traffic court. Don't wear baggy clothes at all.
Yeah I was thinking dress shirt, slacks, and tie. Alright looks like I'm going to go through with it and ask the judge if I can get driving school/deferred probation. Ill mention it's my first ticket ever and admit I was speeding.
It is quite uncommon for me to speed. I usually show up early to where I need to be. I've only gotten one speeding ticket.
However, when I am running late and I know i will speed, just in case i bring along my fart-making toy (the one you have to blow up). If I get caught speeding, I will use it and tell the cops I was speeding to get to my house to use restroom. I think it may work.
As for your question, I can't help you.
sure, talk to the judge, but don't be late this time.
This. maybe not a suit, but dress nice. Ask for deferred adjudication. You will pay a fine PLUS a fee for deferred adjudication, but the judge will set your probation period (usually 4-6 months) and if you don't get another ticket that will not report it to insurance.
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