A legal court hearing or trial is an official occurrence in which the final outcome of a legal matter will ultimately be determined. Court hearings cover all violations of legal statutes, including noise violations, divorces, traffic violations and more.

If you have received a citation for a traffic violation, it is important that you do not miss your court date. In most jurisdictions, a warrant for your arrest will be issued if you miss the court date. If you are not ready to appear, for whatever reason, or you have some type of emergency, there are ways that you can legally postpone your court appearance.

Following are three common ways to postpone a court date.

Unexpected Illness

It can be impossible to predict when you will take ill or become injured. If you find yourself under a doctor’s care for any medical condition, you will be able to contact the court and ask that your court date be rescheduled for a later time.

  • There are multitudinous conditions that are serious enough to warrant rescheduling a court date, including strep throat, the flu, cancer, a herniated disc and more.
  • Basically, if you have a condition that is serious enough to cause you to miss work, or a condition that is considered contagious, there should not be a problem with getting a continuance.

Death in the Family

Death is one of those occurrences that can come unexpectedly. In the case in which a close family member passes away, you can contact the court to arrange for a continuance — allowing for you to make the necessary arrangements for your loved one.

  • This postponement will also provide you with the necessary time to mourn the loss of your family member.
  • The last thing that you will feel like doing while mourning your loss is preparing for a court date, so postponing the date will provide some relief.

Scheduling Conflicts

We are all operating in a world that is constantly moving at a hectic pace. It is not uncommon to have scheduling conflicts that require you to make adjustments.

No one can expect you to be in two places at the same time; however, some judges will expect you to make your court date a priority, but there are exceptions. For instance, if there are multiple court appearances on the same date in different courts, one appearance will have to be rescheduled.

Marriage

Getting married is one of the most special and sacred moments a person will ever experience, and the last thing that you need is to be worried about a court date as you prepare for your big day. It should not be a problem to schedule a new court date around your wedding date; however, it is important that consideration be given to the honeymoon plans as well.

Technicalities that Make Tickets Invalid

While there are a number of valid reasons for postponing a court date, there are also certain instances in which the ticket can actually be rendered invalid. In this case, there will not be a need to postpone the hearing, but your presence may be required in order to ensure that the charge is dismissed by the judge. The last thing that you would want to happen is have a warrant issued for your arrest on a charge that should have been dismissed.

  • One of the most common technicalities that will render a ticket invalid is the failure of the law enforcement officer who issued the ticket to show up.
  • Other technicalities include the necessity of speed defense, road conditions, obscured signs and more.

While you may be capable of postponing a court date, it would be wise to allow an experienced attorney to handle the postponement, ensuring that all the necessary steps are taken. Additionally, an attorney may be able to get the ticket dismissed.

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Scott Desind

Scott Desind | Traffic Ticket Attorneys The Traffic Ticket Attorneys, Desind and Klijian, have over 25 years of experience fighting traffic tickets. Our attorneys are well respected and known for their experience in fighting traffic tickets, specialized knowledge of the law and procedures and results by the court personnel, officers, deputies, competitors and clients.