6.07.2006

Legal Rant

(Some) JP Courts and Municipal Courts drive me nuts. Whenever you get a traffic ticket, a pre-set "fine" will be printed on the back. What a travesty!! Every traffic ticket carries with it a "range" of punishment which is normally from $1 to $200. Legally, there is no "set" fine. For a ticket to tell you that you "automatically" owe X amount of dollars for speeding is simply an outright lie. A little known fact: For every traffic ticket, you are entitled to have a jury assess your fine. If that jury wants to give you a $10 fine, they can. (Not to mention that you have the right for the jury to determine whether you were guilty in the first place.)