Written by This was a photo radar case, CT2009-511612, in the West McDowell Justice Court, Maricopa County, Arizona. This is from the video recorded by the court for the trial on December 16, 2009, starting at about 9:00 am.
I’m the one on the left, the judge is facing the camera at the top, and the guy on the right is an employee of Redflex (not an attorney), who is appearing as the witness (or representative) for the state.
Right at the start (clipped), judge mentions that she saw me interviewed on TV the night before. The news clip that was broadcast can be viewed here: http://www.kpho.com/video/21979630/
About the interview, the judge says “you were wrong about almost everything.” I found that strange because I really didn’t say much, and couched everything in typical legal equivocation — “it might”.
Later, judge says that due process does not apply to these types of cases (I’m not sure whether she meant only Photo Radar or any Civil Traffic Case), “either procedural or substantive”.
Procedural due process means the right to be adequately notified of charges or proceedings, the opportunity to be heard at these proceedings, and that the person or panel making the final decision over the proceedings be impartial in regards to the matter before them. Goldberg v. Kelly, 397 U.S. 254, 267 (1970).
That makes me wonder if the judge meant that defendants in these hearings are not entitled to notice, to learn the allegations, to review the evidence, or to an impartial judge to decide.
She let me continue (reschedule) the case, and it was ultimately dismissed at the next hearing.
At the urging of other attorneys, I filed a complaint with the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct, which conducted its own investigation and issued this order.
