Should I go to Court Tomorrow or Not?

If anyone remembers, I posted a thread about how I got a ticket for not having a subway ticket in Los Angeles. Well, the final day to go to court is tomorrow 8 AM (Thurs 12.20.07). I freaked out because I was illegal but some of your assured me that nothing was going to happen.

But I'm still scared as hell.

I've never been in a courtroom before and won't the judge or somebody in there publicly infront of everyone else ask me for my information along with SSN and other legal documents? What will I say to them? I hate it when I'm in a public position to give up my status information, and this makes it the bane of it because it's in court in front of a real live judge who has the power to do whatever he wants.

Then I remembered one of you saying if I don't go, they'll just judge me guilty and bill me the fine through the mail. I don't think I can put up much of a fight in court anyways since I'm not the vocal type. So since I'm gonna pay the fine anyways, would it be a better choice of not going and therefore not risking deportation(I know you assured me, but it's still grounds for it)??

Show Up!!!!!

Because if you don't things will turn out worse.
It will be painless except for paying the fine

I thought that if you didn't show up they put a warrant out for you, i'm not sure about it though.

has anyone here gone to court for a ticket?

GO!

Just pay the fine. This could have bad ramifications in the future if you don't.

Also, if the the appointment is at 8:00am, show up at 7:00am.

Where are you located?

If you don't, you'll have to pay the fine AND a bond to get rid of the warrant.

Its a subway ticket....its not even a driving violation or a criminal issue. Its not even a misdemeanor but only a civil violation.

Failure to pay the proper fare is a violation of Section 640 of L.A. county's penal code. The maximum punishment you can get is a fine of $250 and 48 hours of community service.

See Penal Code information here

Court proceedings on small violations usually work like this. You fill out a form and give it to a clerk. The clerk then puts you in a line of people waiting to be called in front of a judge. All of these people have small violations. After you wait in line, your name & file number is called. You go to the front of the judge, admit you're guilty and the judge orders the fine. It works assembly line, the judge just goes through people like they are cattle on a ranch.

There is also another way. You can admit to the penalty to the clerk and fill out the form and pay the fine. You don't have to appear in front of the judge. I know this option exists in NY, I'm not sure about L.A. but I see no reason why it shouldn't exist. Judges also like to minimize the number of people that appear before them.

Thats it, no one publicly asks you for your SSN or other legal documents. You probably have to prove your identity so make sure to take a passport or a matricula consular card.

If this is your first time, then you should be all right. If you repeatedly evade the fare and there's a recorded history, then you have a problem.

I live about 40 minutes from downtown LA, which is where the court is located. I guess from what you guys posted I should go..I wouldn't want a warrant on my ass. I'm just freaking out bc of the possibility of something just going out-of-place wrong and causing legal staying problems ie deportation! someone who's been in my shoes before pls post!

*EDIT* thanks to the above poster, you helped me get a picture now, and it doesn't seem too bad

I had to go to court for driving without a DL (which is way worse than your offense) and the process was just like described above. have your name called, go up to judge, he/she tell you your fine and you pay the clerk... out the door you go... next criminal.....errrr sucker.... is up.

I once got a ticket for parking in a school zone and there wasn't even a school anywhere near that place. I went to court and the whole thing was pretty much like going to the post office. Didn't have any problems, wasn't asked anything, didn't have to pay the ticket.

I also took Goldman Sachs to court over brokerage charges and also won and didn't have any problems, just filling out forms and the like.

I expect LA to be like NY with lots of people in line waiting for their hearings. They just want to get your case done and move on, that's the only thing they care about.