Speaking of Perry Mason, I have had the chance to be my own attorney and be a juror in a trial where the defendant acted as his own attorney...the result in both cases, if you can't stand the suspense was...guilty.
Long time ago, I defended myself in county court in Lincoln, Illinois. Charge: Speeding, by a state trooper on I-55. Without going into the details I thought I had a legitimate case, and with my extensive legal background (ok, just two yrs of pre-law, mostly political science) I went for it. Court day came, I was well prepared, I called my only witness, the trooper who gave me the ticket. In fact, he had failed to document or calibrate (or both) the radar device. Your honor, I rest my case. The judge admonished the trooper for not following procedure, looked at me, "Guilty", fine with no court costs, and "Next case". As I walked out of the courtroom one of the other troopers awaiting another case said "Nice job". Indeed.
Jackson County courthouse (KCMO), I had been selected to hear a civil court case regarding a forfeiture of property in connection with a drug bust. The defendant (out on bail from the criminal case) defended himself. The judge was very patient in cautioning the defendant regarding the dangers of being unschooled in the ways of the law. And many more admonishments during the proceedings on various improper questions, etc. It took longer to select the foreman of the jury than the verdict. Guilty. Benny had to part with his Corvette.
Both cases were a waste of time (and money). It's the American Way. Nobody is immune, not the City nor WLIC. Gadflys can be a real pain in the...well you already know.
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Mike,
Sounds like you needed Paul Gross to try your case for you. He likes to try his own cases and I'm sure he could have found some "expert" witness to testify that your car was discriminated against in some kind of Fair Driving Act.
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