I just got my first traffic ticket, what does it mean to plead "Nolo Contendere?"?

Answer 1

This sort of plea is not recognized in some states.

You typically can plead guilty, not guilty or claim that you have already been charged and aquitted of the crime - a double jeopardy claim.

This means you are not contesting the charge. If the state where you were charged does not allow such a plea, you can always tell the judge you want to plead not guilty then you want the judge to simply go ahead and find you guilty.

There is no sense in going through all the above unless you were in an accident and caused damages and/or injuries. If it's a speeding ticket, go admit it if you did it.

Answer 2

NO CONTEST.

in criminal law, a defendant's plea in court that he/she will not contest the charge of a particular crime, also called nolo contendere. While technically not an admission of guilt for commission of the crime, the judge will treat a plea of "no contest" as such an admission and proceed to find the defendant guilty as charged. A "no contest" plea is often made in cases in which there is also a possible lawsuit for damages by a person injured by the criminal conduct (such as reckless driving, assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault), because it cannot be used in the civil lawsuit as an admission of fault. "No contest" is also used where there has been a "plea bargain" in which the defendant does not want to say he/she is guilty but accepts the sentence recommended by the prosecutor in exchange for not contesting the charge (which is often reduced to a lesser crime). It is standard practice for the judge to ask either the attorneys or the defendant, "Is there a factual basis for the plea?" before accepting it and finding the defendant guilty.

In criminal procedure, a negotiation between the defendant and his attorney on one side and the prosecutor on the other, in which the defendant agrees to plead "guilty" or "no contest" to some crimes, in return for reduction of the severity of the charges, dismissal of some of the charges, the prosecutor's willingness to recommend a particular sentence or some other benefit to the defendant. Sometimes one element of the bargain is that the defendant reveal information such as location of stolen goods, names of others participating in the crime or admission of other crimes (such as a string of burglaries). The judge must agree to the result of the plea bargain before accepting the plea. If he does not, then the bargain is cancelled. Reasons for the bargain include a desire to cut down on the number of trials, danger to the defendant of a long term in prison if convicted after trial and the ability to get information on criminal activity from the defendant. There are three dangers: a) an innocent defendant may be pressured into a confession and plea out of fear of a severe penalty if convicted; b) particularly vicious criminals will get lenient treatment and be back "on the street" in a short time; c) results in unequal treatment. Public antipathy to plea bargaining has led to some state statutes prohibiting the practice, but informal discussions can get around the ban.

Answer 3

Nolo Contendere is Latin for No Contest.

Answer 4

"Nolo Contendere means "No contest". It means that you are not pleading guilty or innocent and throwing yourself on the mercy of the court.

Answer 5

A nolo plea is the same as a guilty plea without admitting civil liability. It means "No contest".

Answer 6

It's Latin for No Contest. It means you're not going to contest the ticket and will pay the fines.

Answer 7

No contest means the same thing as pleading guilty. A lawyer will tell you the same thing.

Answer 8

No Contest

Answer 9

No Contest.

Answer 10

it means no contest.. you arent admitting guilt nor are you admitting innocense either.. and you must be 21 to use it and you can only use it once in many states