Q: got a notice from court to appear even though my ticket says no court appearence required
i was doing 19 over the limit and cop said no need to attend the court and i have to mail my fines which i already did (120$) . I am international student with valid license i live far from the court (4hr drive) is it still madetory for me to atted the court as i have already mailed them my fines as shown in ticket.
A:
Hello Asker,
First, it's hard to say without a full accounting of the tickets you received. I'll post a link to the list of offenses which DEFINITELY require a court appearance here: (http://www.illinoiscourts.gov/SupremeCourt/Rules/Art_V/ArtV.htm#Rule551). If ONE, not all, of your tickets is listed among these, then you should expect to be in court or arrange for an attorney to appear in court because non-appearance in court simply isn't legally available. I should also add that it is not unusual to have speeding tickets issued in construction zones and school zones require court appearances.
Second, if none of them meet those qualifications, you should then speak to the clerk of the circuit court for the county that issued the ticket. Have them look up in the system if you have a court date and determine if you must appear. For some counties such as DuPage County, it is not uncommon for a court date to exist EVEN AFTER payment is made until it is actually applied to the case. If this is the case, the court date should be stricken after payment is received. All the same, you want to verify prior to the court date if you have court on that day.
Lastly, remember that the clerk of the circuit court is the ultimate authority on records. Trust no one but them. Do not trust the officer. Instead, verify all information through them. If they tell you you have court, they are reporting what the record says. Until they say otherwise, you have court and should either prepare to drive out there or have an attorney appear for you.
Hope that helps and let me know if you have any questions!
Sincerely,
Jason A. Wilkins
Traffic Attorney
(630) 445-2293
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