Q: If I payed my speeding ticket already can I still request supervision?
A:
No, if you paid a speeding ticket by mail, you have already made an admission of guilt and allowed the court to sentence you ex parte (not in your presence). You have also given authority over this decision over to the prosecutor if you requested court supervision. If you did not request court supervision and you mailed in the ticket, you requested a conviction at $120 fine.
Fortunately, there are ways to change this. If the ticket is within 2 years, you can have an attorney file a motion to vacate the conviction and argue that the conviction should be thrown out and an order of court supervision should be entered. There is ordinarily a fee for this that can range anywhere from $30 to $80 depending on the county. For this reason, it is important to know whether the benefits of court supervision truly outweigh the costs of motioning up your case rather than letting it stand as is. For this reason, I recommend you speak to a traffic attorney who has experience with the impact of tickets on a driver's license. Before doing this, you will want to get a copy of your "court purposes abstract" ($12 fee) from any secretary of state facility (DMV location). This driving history will allow your attorney to accurately determine EXACTLY whether this case is worth motioning. In some cases such as where a suspension will result, the fee is worth paying. In others where a conviction would have no meaningful effect on your license, it isn't worth it.
Most traffic attorneys would not charge a client to review an abstract so there is little reason not to call one and verify whether this case is worth pursuing.
Hope that helps!
Jason A. Wilkins
Attorney at Law
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