Missed trial date for traffic court

It depends on the state you are in. In Illinois, if you miss a traffic court date the judge will do one of two things. He will either give you another date (which you will receive notice in the mail) or he will enter an ex parte judgment. An ex parte judgment is a judgment entered when the person being charged does not show up. They assume you are guilty and enter the judgment against you. Even if the judgment is entered against you for failing to show, in Illinois you can vacate the judgment and get a new date. I suggest calling your court clerk's office to determine what the judge did in your absence and act accordingly.

Call the court and let them know why you missed the date. In all likelihood the matter has been rescheduled to the next time the court will hear cases like yours so you also want to inquire as to the next day you need to appear. If you miss more than one, the court can scoff your license which means that your license would be suspended until you appeared and paid a scoff lift fee.

Try and get scheduled for another court date by a phone inquiry to the clerk of court

If this is a ticket returnable at the Buffalo Traffic Violations Bureau, then you are 30 days to appear before your license will be suspended. You often can get the judge to issue a new date upon payment of a $40 bond. If this case is pending in an non-TVB court, then your license may be suspended already. Appear in court as soon as possible to clear this up. If you want help, feel free to call or email us for a free consultation. Best, Matthew Weiss 212-683-7373 [email protected]