Defendant judges say ticket-fix prosecution should be dismissed because no money changed hands
Helping a friend get a ticket dismissed may violate the code of ethics for judges.
But it doesn’t violate federal criminal law, because no money changed hands, contend a group of current and former Philadelphia traffic court judges in a motion to dismissed their federal mail and wire fraud prosecution, reports the Associated Press.
Three of the nine judges indicted in the case have taken pleas and the other six assert their innocence. Meanwhile, officials are working on a plan to merge the city’s traffic court into its municipal court system, reports the Legal Intelligencer.
The only unindicted member of Philadelphia’s traffic court is currently facing a judicial discipline case, as the Philadelphia Inquirer details.
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Traffic ticket-fixing charges levied against ‘the whole court’ in Philadelphia”
ABAJournal.com: “Judge pleads guilty to fixing traffic tickets; cases against 8 others still pending”
ABAJournal.com: “3rd judge takes plea in federal ticket-fix case”
