Tom’s Tip:
Recently, I was given a
brochure by a traffic judge that was prepared by a high school student. Benjamin Eilers prepared the “Do’s and
Don’ts” brochure as a school project and then printed the colorful brochure at
his own expense. I hope you will enjoy the brochure, because it gives the
traffic infraction process a very different perspective, as compared to a
brochure written by the judge or a court staff person. Credit for this project goes to both
Benjamin and Judge Doug Goelz of South District Court in Pacific County,
Washington.
As
a snap shot of the brochure, here are a few of the suggestions:
Do’s: Be
polite and courteous, speak clearly and respectfully, and dress nice-Not much
else can be said, but if you come across as rude, disrespectful, or a bad
person, remember who gets to judge your fate.
Look
Innocent – If you look innocent, scared and have puppy dog eyes, the judge may
feel your pain.
Be
very straight-forward – Make your case fast and strait-forward. Time is money to a judge and like the rest
of us, if you make his job easier you will make him happy, thus resulting in a
lighter finding.
Don’ts: Lie
– The judge has all your records on hand while he is hearing your story. He has reviewed the case and looked at your
history. Do not say that you have never
done anything like this before if you have.
Most people do not realize this
Swear/cuss
– Try to refrain from cusses and swearing, unless you are quoting someone. Also, try to refrain from using slang.
Call the officer
something other than officer – Even if you call the officer a “cop,” the judge
will frown upon you. The judge usually
knows most of the officers that work in the area, and if you call them anything
other than officer, the judge finds it disrespectful.
Often
we wish we could have said some of these things! On the back panel Benjamin says “Perhaps the most important piece
of advice for you to use is to remember that the judge is just another
person. Lots of people come into court
thinking they committed a mass murder, when all the did was a simple traffic
violation. It isn’t that big of a
deal. You need to relax and think your
trial out. Make sure you have
everything and know exactly what you are going to say. It may seem scary, but it really isn’t once
you get to know how the system works.”
If you wish to see the entire brochure, I have scanned it as an
attachment to this article and it can be found in the Washington State
District and Municipal Court Judges Association web page at: http://home.att.net/~DMCJA/
Do
you have a good idea? Sure you do. I would really appreciate receiving the
unique and special ways that your court is made more efficient or
pleasant. I will pass these ideas on to
members of the Judicial Division.
Please send your ideas and comments to Judge Tom Warren, P.O. Box
2182, Wenatchee, WA 98807-2182, or FAX (509) 664-5456, or e-mail to: Thomas.Warren@co.chelan.wa.us