Greetings, 

I received a speeding ticket on NY State Thruway during October of
2003.  I immediately sent in my ticket with a not guilty plea asking
for a court date.  Months passed and I never heard back with a date. 
I called the court several times and was informed that it can take a
while for a court date to be scheduled.  Now, July 2005, I received a
note from the State saying that they were notified by the court that I
failed to answer the ticket and therefore my license will be suspended
if I do not reply within a few days.  I called the court to find out
what went wrong and they informed me that they sent me a court date
notice for March of 2005.  I never received that notice. Now I had to
post bail and wait for a new court date.

My question is whether or not there is a time limitation for a court
to schedule a trial. Specifics to my situation would be great.  Some
case laws would be great as well.

I know that the 6th amendment gives us the right to a speedy and
public trial. However, does it apply to speeding tickets as well?

Also, considering it has been over a year and half, is there a way for
me to find out the current employment status of the officer?

Thank you in advance.

New York does have a speedy trial statute and the appelate court has
stated that it applies to speeding tickets. The catch is that you have
to file a timely motion or you are deemed to accept the delay. If you
really want to fight the New York speeding ticket then it will be
worthwhile to consider retaining an attorney that is familar with the
court rules. This is especially true if you have previous tickets and
may be subject to the new NY drivers license points surcharge that
recently went into effect. Here is a link with information on New York
speeding tickets.

<a href="http://www.speedingticketcentral.com/New-York-speeding-ticket.html"</a>