How do I... Do court? I didn't realize my license was expired and got pulled over. Now I have court tomorrow.
How do I... Do court? I didn't realize my license was expired and got pulled over. Now I have court tomorrow.
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?
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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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