Appearance and Pleas

Court Appearances

The law requires you to appear on or before your appearance date. Your first appearance is to determine your plea.

Pleas

Under our American system of justice, all persons are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty. On a plea of not guilty, a trial is held. As in all criminal trials, the State must prove guilt of a defendant “beyond a reasonable doubt” of the offense charged in the complaint before the defendant can be found guilty by a judge or jury.

Your decision concerning which plea to enter is very important. If you plead guilty or nolo contendere, you should be prepared to pay the fine and you can contact the court regarding how to make payment.

Plea Form

Plea of Guilty:

A plea by which a defendant confesses to the crime with which the defendant is charged, or the verdict by which a defendant is convicted

No Contest or Nolo Contendere:

A plea in which the defendant does not contest the charge. Nolo contendere has the same legal effect as a guilty plea; however, it may not be used against the defendant as an admission of guilt in a civil suit based upon or growing out of the act upon which the criminal prosecution is based.

Not Guilty Plea

:
A plea in which the defendant informs the court that he or she denies guilt or has a defense in the case and that the State must prove what it has charged in the complaint.

Important Information:

The Nacogdoches Municipal Court Staff are prohibited by law to give or provide legal advice.

• Please contact an attorney if you have legal questions
• Please allow two full business days after receiving a citation before contacting the court to allow time to process
• A telephone call does not constitute a appearance
• Paying a fine may result in points or automatic surcharges on your driving record