"cash register court" senario

[seeker]

Well, we went into traffic court today. As you come in you are told to form a line according to your last name, give your name and decide if you want to plead guilty or not guilty. If you choose guilty, get out your check book and wait for the judge to call your name and kindly offer you a fine + court supervision. If you plead not guilty the will schedule you for district court for a "jury trial". No mention of bench trial. So, what would YOU have done????



Will give you more on this after some interaction here!



PS. It gets better!



Seeker

[suijuris]

Who was organizing this line?



I would probably have found a seat and waited for my name to be called.



I would have told anyone that tried to pursuade me to tell them what my intentions were re a plea that I would only speak to a judge, and that if no judge were available, this is not a court and I am leaving.



Just off the top of my head...

[Jerseee]

Sir,



I cannot make that legal determination. But may I ask 2 questions (this one not being one of them)?



1. Is this a court of record?

2. Will the judge honor his oath?

[seeker]

The line was organized by a state's attorney and her aide.

Actually, we sat and waited to see if they would call names. Only those who had already done the sheeple line were called. Finally, a cop, the baliff, walked over to ask what we where there for. When we said "Regarding the invitation to appear in court" he said, well you have to give her (state's attorney) your name and she'll take care of it." She came over and got really huffy. When we asked if she had a list of case names so we could look at it and see if we were in the right place. She said "It doesn't matter. I told everyone to form a line and talk to me. You've probably been ex-parted already anyway." And Huffed off.



That's the second installment.

Comments?



Seeker

[seeker]

I almost forgot, at the beginning, before court was brought in session, the judge said this is a limited jurisdiction court. In Illinois you can plead guilty, not guilty (I think there was a third, but I have to think about it) He then said if you pleaded guilty, you could pay your fine, if you pleaded not guilty you would be allowed a jury trial (his words) at the district court in the county seat.

Then he rushed through the traffic, guilties, fi(ne and court sup), had the others see the clerk (I guess that's who she was sitting next to him and taking money). And then ran through two bench trials (WHAT a joke!)



Seeker

[Jerseee]

Seeker.



Please stop stringing us along--I can't take the suspense!!



I have a high LDL cholesterol count and this ain't helpin' to lower it. hahahahahahaaa



i can sense that you saw something and you realized that you were more prepared than what you previously thought. Am I close?



Aarrgh, the suspense is killing me. (metaphorically)

[seeker]

Would you believe, for the rest of the day, I kept saying "THAT was a court?!?!"



We waited. Everyone left except the court personnel. They never called our name and the judge started signing stuff (I guess the ex-partes? didn't call any of them) So My daughter boldly stands up and says, Your honor, I would like to discuss my invitation to appear in this court today." He about dropped his teeth. The SA did a double take and the rest of then just stared.



She did wonderfully. She stated her Christian name, Upper and Lower and asked if she might ask a few questions. She started by asking if she was expected to make a plea without having al lthe facts. The judge said, Yes, you enter a plea and then we will deal with yu. she said, Sir, do not the rules of this court proceed on the presumption of innocence? He says, Yes, you plead not guilty. She said, again I ask, do you expect me to enter a plea without full knowledge of the facts? He again says yes. This is becoming a vicious circle, but we are nothing if not persistant, right?



How's that bit Jerseee?

[seeker]

Can ya see where this is going? I bet you THINK you can...but believe me, you ain't gonna believe it. I can only write bits at a time because I start shaking my head and doing the "THAT was a COURT?!?!" thing.



We will need great minds to follow up this thing!



Seeker

[Jerseee]

Seeker,



I do not handle teasing well, especially when I smell a success story looming!!! I need my success story fix and you're holding back. If I could just get my hand through this monitor.......



Seriously though, when the judge said, "you plead not guilty." You should have thanked him for that legal determination and judgment. If he tries to back peddle after that statement, you could have said, "are you practicing law from the bench?"



Oh that would have been a site.

Man, This ain't even right seeker.



C'mon man, spill the beans...