Traffic Court Procedures

[patriotmom]

What is the name of your state? Connecticut
I will be going to court to contest my "Failure to Obey" ticket. I've already established on this site that mine will be an uphill battle, but as I am adamant that I never intended any disobedience, and that the whole thing is a misunderstanding, I am unwilling to plead guilty. Given the $93 fine, hiring an attorney seems like overkill. I've been advised here that I won't have an opportunity to give a speech telling my story, and that the format will be a series of questions asked and answered, and then a ruling.
1. Can anyone share with me HOW a defendant goes about presenting a traffic defense in court?
2. Does the defendant have the opportunity to ask questions of the officer, or does the defendant simply field questions?
3. If I give more than a simple yes or no answer, will I be shut down by the prosecutor and judge?
4. How much time is typically devoted to a traffic case?
5. Will anyone share any winning strategies?

If this is too much to ask, can anyone direct me to an online source for Connecticut court procedures?

 

[FlyingRon]

What is the name of your state? Connecticut
I will be going to court to contest my "Failure to Obey" ticket. I've already established on this site that mine will be an uphill battle, but as I am adamant that I never intended any disobedience

You can be as adamant as you want but you were INTENTIONALLY disobedient.
It was just that you resigned yourself to comply by the time he got around to issuing the citation.

1. Can anyone share with me HOW a defendant goes about presenting a traffic defense in court?

You can always go down to traffic court in advance and watch. Generally the officer presents his side of the case. You can then ask questions (that's questions, not arguing, not explaining). Then if the officer has any witnesses (unlikely) they tesify. Then you get to explain and present witnesses. After that the judge finds you guilty and you are sent off to pay the fine.

2. Does the defendant have the opportunity to ask questions of the officer, or does the defendant simply field questions?

As I said above you can ask, but only those that are to elicit testimony. Your cross-examination is not a time to argue or make excuses.

3. If I give more than a simple yes or no answer, will I be shut down by the prosecutor and judge?

Depends what the question is.

4. How much time is typically devoted to a traffic case?

However long it takes. Rarely goes more than ten minutes unless there are witnesses or something complex.

It took 5 seconds of googling to find the following link "connecticut traffic court"
http://www.jud.ct.gov/faq/traffic.html

 

[Hey There]

3-13-08

patriotmom

The link Flying Ron gave you has complete information for your query .An alternate way to get to this website is to type in Conneticut court procedures for traffic tickets (in the Google search window).
Click on Traffic Frequently Asked Questions.--#6 and #8 address court procedure(court costs $44.00 will be in addition to the fine if found guilty) but in #10 a judge or magistrate can lower the fine.
If the driver can attend court and observe beforehand how the judge or magistrate rules the driver will be better prepared in presenting a defence.
If the vehicle code the driver is cited for is read word by word the driver will have a better understanding of the vehicle code and what entails violation of that code.
A local library may also have information on preparing for a traffic court appearance.
As your post illustrates less time and effort will be expended to go in the direction the officer points than for the driver to be ticketed for failure to obey , prepare a defence and explain in court why the charge should be dismissed.
In the end what happens is how you present your case and how the judge or magistrate rules.
Hope this information proves helpful to you.

Best Regards,
Hey There