Traffic court

Traffic court

Traffic court is a term that refers to a municipality's specialized judicial process for handling traffic ticket cases. In the United States, a person who is given a citation by a police officer can either plead guilty and pay the indicated fine directly to the court house, by mail, or in some more urban municipalities, on the Internet. If the person wishes to plead not guilty or otherwise contest the charges, he or she is required to appear in court on the predetermined date on the citation, where they may make their case to the judge, or negotiate with the prosecutor before they are called to appear in front of the judge.

More serious charges, such as DUI, or other instances wherein the person in question may be responsible for injuries to another, may require the person to appear in court regardless of their plea. Some municipalities process guilty pleas of this nature outside of the presence of an actual judge, whereas others may require them to appear in court. Often these charges are handled by the larger criminal court.

Each state handles traffic matters in its own way. In most of New York State, for example, traffic matters are heard in the court for the city, town, or village where the alleged violation happened. The town and village courts are known as Justice Courts. Each municipality has its own way of doing things. New York City traffic matters (and a few other locations) are heard in a special court called Traffic Violations Bureau, with a very different process. New Jersey handles traffic matters in the Municipal Court System, with the most serious cases heard in Superior Court. In Washington, D.C. traffic tickets are handled by the Department of Motor Vehicles. In California tickets are handled in Superior Court. Massachusetts tickets are heard in District Courts. In the City of Chicago, traffic tickets issued by Chicago Police Officers with no possibility of jail time are handled by the City's Law Department, frequently by law students. All other traffic violations (including those issued by state police) are dealt with by the Cook County State's Attorney.

External links

* [http://www.town-court.com/ Traffic Court directory for several states]


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • traffic court — n: a local court having limited jurisdiction over violation of statutes, ordinances, and regulations governing the use of roads and motor vehicles Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996 …   Law dictionary

  • traffic court — ☆ traffic court n. a local court having jurisdiction over those charged with violating statutes or ordinances governing the flow of traffic on streets and highways …   English World dictionary

  • traffic court — traffic .court n a US court of law that deals with people who have done something illegal while driving …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • traffic court — noun a court that has power to prosecute for traffic offenses • Topics: ↑law, ↑jurisprudence • Hypernyms: ↑court, ↑tribunal, ↑judicature * * * noun : a minor court for disposition of petty prosecutions for violations of statutes, ordinances …   Useful english dictionary

  • traffic court — A municipal or police court exercising jurisdiction over traffic offenses. A court having special jurisdiction over traffic offenses. Johnson v Virginia, 373 US 61, 10 L Ed 2d 195, 83 S Ct 1053 …   Ballentine's law dictionary

  • traffic court — traf′fic court n. law a court that passes on alleged violations of traffic laws • Etymology: 1925–30 …   From formal English to slang

  • traffic court — a court that passes on alleged violations of traffic laws. [1925 30] * * * …   Universalium

  • traffic court — noun Date: 1919 a minor court for disposition of petty prosecutions for violations of statutes, ordinances, and local regulations governing the use of highways and motor vehicles …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • traffic court — noun (C) AmE a court in a town or city in the US that deals with people who have done something illegal while driving …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • Traffic Violations Bureau — Traffic Violations Bureau, often abbreviated as TVB, is an arm of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. The bureau is entrusted with adjudicating non criminal traffic violations in New York City, the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, and… …   Wikipedia

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