What is 'Prayer for Judgement' in regards to speeding ticket in NC? (Raleigh: insurance)

[dianeh]

Help! Hubby got speeding ticket in Raleigh last night & was more than 15mph over speed limit...(71 in a 55) He received similar ticket within the past year but was able to pay fine & get reduced to only 9mph over speed limit... What is the "Prayer for Judgement" plea & will he be able to keep his driver's license?

[etacarinae]

A Prayer for Judgement Continued is to give you an opportunity to correct the legality resulting in the ticket being issued (pay fine) and return to court at a later date to provide proof the issue is resolved.

[arbyunc]

^ Not really. A PJC is a guilty plea that is technically not entered on your criminal or driving record. It does show up on your record, but the advantage is that it may not result in driving points or higher insurance premiums. If you have a subsequent violation, though, the original guilty plea can be entered and you'd have to deal with the effects of that. So essentially it means "keep your nose clean and we'll ignore it this time".

The above is a generalization, as there are a number of factors that determine if you're eligible, and whether your insurance rates are affected. So for your specific case you should contact the DA's office, or a good lawyer, to see if it might be an option.

[3DogNight]

"keep your nose clean and we'll ignore it this time" -- <snort!> That cracked me up.

It means pay us and we'll ignore it this time. It's a 'no harm no foul' and I like to call it legal extortion.

[MohawkWarrior]

First, if I were you, I would contact the insurance company. They can tell you right away if it cost you any points. Most likely it will NOT. Second, keep in mind the previous point made by arbyunc, that if another violation occurs, this can be brought up again. If there are too many tickets, or if he has multiple violations of the same type, the judge can look back on this and say that he is habitual, and take his license. After three years, this matter can no longer be taken into consideration. Prayer for Judgement only has viability in a court room for three years, and once this time has passed you can just ignore it as though it never happened.
Keep in mind, ANY TIME you get a ticket the best solution, as much as I hate to say it, is to get a lawyer. The reason I say this is because simply paying the fine is an admission of guilt and you instantly get the points against you. However, attorneys that specialize in this sort of thing usually charge between $100-$300 depending on the violation, and can get you a HUGE reduction in the amount of the fine, and often keep you from getting points against you or losing your license.
I myself had a BS ticket for reckless driving (I was going 20mph cutting through an empty parking lot at night, and the police officer wanted to be a jerk. He said 20 was too fast and very dangerous). Anyway, I had to pay $250 to a lawyer, but in the end it was dropped to 0 points and a 'court fee' of $90. Without the attorney, it would have been $600 and the possibility of losing my license, even though it was the first ticket I have EVER recieved (at a minimum it would have been 3 points). All because an officer with a power trip wanted to be a douche.
Anyway, hope this helps; and remember, it doesn't matter which state the ticket is in, just paying the fine is admitting guilt and can cause you to lose your license!! Always fight it.