When you receive a traffic violation in New Orleans, the last thing you want to do is pay fines, fees and spend time in court. Unfortunately, if you want to fight your ticket, you will have to spend a lot of time in court. And, due to a glitch in the computer system that manages cases at the New Orleans Traffic Court, your time in court just increased.
Safety & Security Concerns Lead to More Court Visits
New Orleans Traffic Court had recently added an electronic case management system which keeps track of all traffic cases. Unfortunately, concerns over who has access to the system has stopped all business at the Courthouse for a the past few weeks. Chief Traffic Court Judge Bobby Jones confirmed last week that he was informed by the City Attorney’s office that a problem was uncovered with the integrity of the system. So, now we’re back to the good ol’ days of pen and paper. Apparently, unauthorized city employees can change the disposition of cases using a glitch in the case management software.
That’s not good for anyone.
So, while the city looks into how to resolve this issue, it looks like the court is changing the structure and process of how you go about fighting a traffic ticket you recently received in New Orleans.
What Does This Mean if I get a Traffic Ticket in New Orleans?
Sadly, the City Attorney’s office is not finalizing the traffic tickets right now. Instead, they are amending tickets with pen and paper, but deferring the actual amendment until they are allowed to use the computers again to make the amendment. The Clerks of Court aren’t permitted to make the amendments so there’s a stall between making the amendment and actually documenting the amendment.
So, this basically means that if you get a traffic ticket in New Orleans, and you go to Traffic Court and work out a plea, then you are going to be asked to come back to court “sometime in August” in order for the plea to be recorded in the computer system and for the judge to assess the fines, fees and court costs. It is also possible that the City Attorney’s office could withdraw your plea offer between now and when you go back to court to have the plea recorded, which means you will have to start over with plea negotiations.
The only way you can have the judge assess the fines and fees is if you want to plead guilty – which you are advised to NEVER do—or if you go to trial. If you decided to go to trial, and the judge convicted you of the traffic offense, then the judge could assess the fines and fees.
How Often do I have to go to Court to Fight My Speeding Ticket?
You used to have to go to traffic court in New Orleans twice: first to plead not guilty and second to have a trial/plea day.
But now, you will probably have to go up to four times until the computer system is back up and running smoothly – which will take months and cost you at least 6 hours of personal time away from work, school, or your family. You used to be able to plead not guilty through the Clerk of Traffic Court and set a trial date with one of the judges, but now you have to go to the Traffic Clerk to be randomly assigned to one of four divisions at traffic court, then go to the division for an arraignment, then set a trial date to either accept a plea bargain offer or go to trial (which might end up getting postponed or extended if the City isn’t ready or the ticketing police officer doesn’t show up) and THEN, come back a fourth time when the City Attorney can actually input the amended ticket (plea bargain) into the computer system and now the judge can assess the fines, fees and court costs. After all this, many people still have to return to the Clerk’s office every month to make their $50.00 per month payments towards their ticket.
Hire a Traffic Ticket Lawyer to Go to Court For You
If everything I just explained sounds like too much time to take away from your daily obligations, you should hire a traffic ticket lawyer in New Orleans to help fight your ticket. Not only will Crescent City Law go to all of your court appearances, but will also plea ‘not guilty’ and fight for your rights to have your fines either lowered or dropped. With a very experienced traffic defense lawyer such as Crescent City Law, you will not only have peace of mind, but you won’t have to spend the many hours (and parking fees) out of your days going to New Orleans Traffic Court. Call us today for a free initial consultation at (504) 264-9492, or e-mail us here. We are available nights and weekends as well.
