Quote:
Originally Posted by HyperM3
Didnt even make it to the judge. The prosecuting attorney said I can either plead guilty and pay, or appeal it and hire a defense attorney and reschedule a court date.
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Why would you have to appeal if you hadn't been found guilty of an offense yet? I must confess some level of ignorance about traffic courts because I have absolutely no experience with them (see a previous thread somewhere on here), but it seems to me this NJ procedure is designed to strong-arm people into paying the tickets. By using prosecutors the average legal neophyte is likely to be intimidated and by forcing people to come to court twice if they want to fight a ticket it increases the hassle. Based on every anectodal story I've heard about traffic courts in PA and VA (previous residences) you just had your court date with the judge, the cop (no prosecutor) shows up, and it's settled then one way or another.