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?
We have no clue where you are so we can’t give any good advice. For all we know you live in Elbonia and driving without a license gets you the guillotine.
But
Show up ~30 minutes early, there will likely be metal detectors and a line at them. If you are in line be ready when you get up front, if you need to empty your pockets do that before you are at the detector. This makes it faster for everyone.
Showing up early will also give you time to find your courtroom in the building. It also will let you watch the court for a few minutes before your time to shine.
Turn your phone off. Court house rules might require you leave it outside.
Dress appropriately, a polo should be fine. Any collared shirt tucked in with pants and closed toed shoes will show you put some effort into dressing yourself. No hats unless you’ve got to for your religion.
It’s the judge’s courtroom don’t interrupt them. Don’t lie. And being on your best behavior starts the moment you step onto the lot not when you enter the room, be polite to court staff as well.
Read the ticket front and back for specific instructions. Check the court website to see if there’s any announcements that you should be aware of (like local rules).
Don’t listen to other people’s advice on how you should plead. We don’t know the facts of your case. Most people here aren’t lawyers. Nothing here is legal advice.
If you haven’t already renewed your license, do not drive yourself to court. I know that probably sounds obvious, but people still manage to get in trouble doing that. I’d actually recommend taking an Uber or something if your license is still expired; you can get a ride from a friend, but an Uber will at least give you a receipt that you can present to the court in case it gets brought up (and they will ask “How did you get here today?” if you’re still expired).
I thought of that. I saw the viral video with that dude driving during his video court.
I was going to walk. It’s a small town and I walk a lot as a hobby anyway.
Since I realized my license was expired I’ve been walking to work and to the store. Again it’s a very small town and I can walk just about everywhere.
However if they are going to ask I might want some proof…no can’t afford an Uber right now but maybe I could take some pictures of my walk? Or take the bus just to have a bus ticket?
They won’t ask you to prove that you didn’t drive to court.
They will ask how you got there. Don’t lie if they catch you in a lie that is bad. Walking is fine tell them they can send an officer to verify your car is at home. Move it to the driveway if in a garrage - don’t move it off you property though. They probably won’t check but make it easy if they do check.
You can offer that your car is not parked in the parking lot. No one will check but if there are cameras they have the option of checking later.
He lives in a small town. Odds are much higher they check.
Where I live, phones and cameras aren’t allowed in magistrate court.
However if they are going to ask I might want some proof…no can’t afford an Uber right now but maybe I could take some pictures of my walk? Or take the bus just to have a bus ticket?
Film your entire walk to court
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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 your respectful of 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 the 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.
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.
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.
Are you sure what this is? 20 years ago I had a ticket for an out headlight and when I went to check in they said ‘why are you here, just go to the clerk and pay your fine’. No fine was on the ticket but the clerk could looh it up. I did go to the judge and explained that I just didn’t get the fix verrified in time and ask the judge for mercy because I was a student. Got my $70 fine reduced to $35.
your milage may vary but I expect something like this.
Get there as early as you can. They may have free legal aid on hand.
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.
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 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.
Dress well to show respect for the court.
It might be too late, but if you have your license renewed tell that to the judge. They will ask you how do you plead, I wouldn’t try to pull any shit with the not guilty plea. Just say you plead guilty, it was a mistake, and you renewed it immediately.
I had my state inspection expire and it was dismissed by the judge. Just dress nice, be respectful, and tell them it happened and you fixed it ASAP. You will still have to pay a court fee, so you won’t get out of jail free, but not having points on your license is worth it.
At the end of the day, most judges just want to see that there wasn’t a nefarious reason you didn’t have a valid drivers license. If you were able to renew it, no harm no foul.
I haven’t renewed my license yet. In my state I have to take the written test again so two appointments at the DMV
Im also in retail management so between COVID call outs, holiday roll outs, and a hurricane… I haven’t had a day off in months.
I personally would schedule something even if i know i cant make it so i can tell whoever i talk to that i have it all scheduled.
it won’t look great if you’re taking no action toward correcting the issue.
That’s a bummer. I would have a plan for how to get to the courthouse without personally driving, otherwise the judge might take offense with how you arrived there illegally and do something more drastic.
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.
Country?
Put on “nice dinner with grandma” clothes. Try not to show up inebriated.
There’s lots of resources online specifically about your state, that will be important, as every state is different.
In one state where I lived, you had the right to transfer moving violations to criminal court (the court for tickets was generally a Justice of the Peace, which is an appointee, so a legal education isn’t required to be one).
Criminal court has higher requirements for everyone involved, so it can be useful for defense purposes. It also costs more, both for the state and for you in court fees (fines will be the same). The advantage is the state is motivated to plea your charge down to clear the docket. I’ve seen this many times, for everything under the sun. But, every state is different.
I assume since you have court it’s because this is your first ticket, and you’re young - not sure why they do that, but it’s not uncommon. I guess they want to put the fear of the legal system in you. Had the opposite effect for me, saw it was just a process, that goes on all day, every day. Later tickets you just pay.
Actually I’m not young. Im 35 but I drive like an old man so never even get tickets much less had to go to court for anything.
I’m assuming my chance of going to jail over this is low but I’m still worried about it. Ive never been to jail and that would cause me to miss work and I need my job.
I don’t know if criminal court would be a better option because I can’t think of something lesser than letting my license expire accidentally.
Like others said. you’re not going to jail. You’ll be ok. You’ll get a fine and maybe points on your license.
You could possibly ask for your case to be continued, and have time to renew your license.
You aren’t going to go to jail. This is an administrative ticket, you didn’t even do anything wrong like speed or run a stop sign.
Agreed - they want your money here, not your liberty.
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”
Just doing my part to make the world a better place!
YES
Get a Canadian goose. Those things are crazy at times.
“Cop Killer” by Ice-T and Body Count is also acceptable entrance music.
Do you have a valid reason for not receiving mail re: renewal of license? Move recently? It’s not an excuse but it is an explanation for why it happened.
I’m housing insecure. I’ve always worked hard but it’s never been “my place” it’s always a roommate or girlfriend and I move around A LOT. Plus one of the symptoms of my ADHD is “time blindness” it’s hard for me to judge how much time has passed between two events. That’s why I didn’t think about my license might be expired. 1 year, 7 years, 12 years… It all feels the same to me.
“I’m sorry your honor. I have a medical condition and it can be hard for me to keep track of dates. I don’t have a doctors note for that but I could get one if I need to. I’ve also moved residences so I didn’t get the notification to renew. I’m going to get my renewal as soon as I can.”
Dress well
Yeah, that’s one thing I’m worried about. Powers out because of the hurricane. I’ve got black jeans and a polo shirt clean.
That should be fine. It’s traffic court, not a murder trial, just don’t show up in a ratty shirt if you can be in nicer.
Most of the criminals in a murder trial are wearing prison tracksuits, I think they’ll be fine.
Find out what level offense this is in your state. Likely is not a crime (misdemeanor or felony) but a violation for the first offense.
If it is a misdemeanor, get a public defender and ask for a plea to a lesser charge.
There is likely a standard plea offer for all similarly situated charges/defendants. It may change depending on whether you have renewed your license. If that’s the case you can ask for additional time to renew. That will buy you another court date but give you a chance to get a better resolution if you fix the issue.
Dress like you would for church or a job interview.
Make sure your cellphone is on silent (and if you think it could ring by accident just turn your phone off when in court)
*The process in your local area will vary
