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If you have been convicted of an alcohol offense in the State of New York, your driver’s license is going to be affected: while the case is pending, you will either be suspended, or you will be given a hardship license by the judge. This is a piece of paper that says that you are allowed to drive to and from work every day, but you can’t do anything else. When the case is over, if you’ve been convicted, your license will either be suspended for 90 days (if the conviction was for a DWAI – driving while ability impaired by alcohol) or a revocation (if the conviction was for DWI – driving while intoxicated).

When the conviction is filed, you may have the chance to take an “impaired driver’s program” (or IDP) class. This class will allow you to get a “conditional license” for the duration of your suspension or revocation. Then, when the suspension or revocation period is over, you can apply for your full license privileges again.

A conditional license is similar to a hardship license, but it has more freedom. You can drive to and from medical appointments, child daycare or school, and some free time once a week. BUT… you may not qualify for the IDP program. Here are the things that can disqualify you:

1. You don’t have a valid New York State driver’s license to start with. (That is, you live out of state or don’t have legal status in this country.)
2. You already took the program when you had a DWI or DWAI conviction in the past five year. (The IDP program can only be taken ONCE every five years.)

NOTE: If you refused to take a breath test, you may be found guilty of refusal by the DMV, and your license will be suspended for one year, plus the imposition of a civil fine by the DMV. However, this refusal conviction will not prevent you from getting a conditional license IF the case terminates in a conviction. It’s only if the case resolves in your favor, and there is no conviction, that the DMV’s suspension stays in effect, and you can’t apply for a conditional license.

The lesson? If you need to drive, don’t drink and drive at all. If you get caught drinking and driving, don’t refuse to blow into the breath device. And if you refuse, make sure your case ends in an alcohol conviction – so that you can get your conditional license and start driving again.

¿Sabías que es costoso botar los tickets de tráfico que recibes? Si recibes un ticket de tránsito en el estado de Nueva York y no respondes “culpable” o “no culpable” dentro del tiempo indicado en el ticket, tu licencia de manejar, o tu privilegio de manejar, se suspenderán y tendrás que pagar una tarifa de elevación de la suspensión a la corte para restaurar el caso al calendario activo y ENTONCES resolver el caso contratando a un abogado y / o pagando una multa. ¡No hagas esto! Ahora cuesta $70 por ticket para restaurar el boleto al calendario de la corte activa. SIEMPRE RESPONDE A SUS BOLETOS DE TRÁFICO. :p

¿Tienes un ticket viejo? La sobretarifa de suspensión que tenías que pagar a la corte antes fue de $35. Si no estás seguro de cuánto debes pagar para levantar tu(s) suspensión(es), solo llama a la corte. Si la suspensión se impuso antes del 6 de julio de 2009, la tarifa de elevación es de $35 por boleto. Si la suspensión se impuso después del 6 de julio de 2009, la tarifa de restauración será de $ 70 por boleto.

Vieja tarifa de suspensión: $35 por ticket
Nueva tarifa de suspensión (a partir del 6 de julio de 2012): $70 por ticket

Did you know that it’s expensive to throw away traffic tickets? If you receive a traffic ticket in New York State and don’t respond “guilty” or “not guilty” within the time indicated on the ticket, your driver’s license or driving privilege will be suspended and you will have to pay a suspension lift fee to the court in order to restore the case to the active calendar and THEN resolve the case by hiring a lawyer and/or paying a fine. Don’t do this! It now costs $70 per ticket to restore the ticket to the active court calendar. ALWAYS RESPOND TO YOUR TRAFFIC TICKETS. :p

Have an old ticket? The suspension lift fee that you had to pay to the court was $35. If you’re not sure how much you need to pay to lift your suspension(s), just call the court. If the suspension was imposed before July 6, 2009, then the lift fee is $35 per ticket. If the suspension was imposed after July 6, 2009, the lift fee will be $70 per ticket.

Old suspension lift fee: $35 per ticket
New suspension lift fee (as of July 6, 2012): $70 per ticket

Si usted es un inmigrante indocumentado y tiene un caso criminal en la Corte de la Ciudad de Newburgh, debe tener presente que los agentes locales de ICE actualmente están a la acecha cerca de las puertas de la corte. A menudo, se quedan en el estacionamiento de la corte, sentados en sus autos (siempre dos hombres, vestidos sin uniforme, en un carro con vidrios tintados, cerca de la entrada principal), esperando que la persona buscada acuda a la corte. Esto significa que, si no tiene sus documentos y ha sido acusado de un delito, es posible que los agentes de ICE lo estén esperando en el estacionamiento de este edificio. Incluso si no ha sido condenado por un delito … incluso si los cargos no son graves, como un delito de conducir ebrio, o violencia doméstica … incluso si tiene antecedentes penales y ha estado en este país durante muchos años … si ha sido acusado de CUALQUIER ofensa criminal y no tiene estatus legal (o peor, ha tenido contacto previo con inmigración o una orden de deportación anterior), DETÉNGASE y llámeme para una consulta gratuita. Estaré encantado de discutir sus opciones con usted.

If you are an undocumented immigrant going to Newburgh City Court, you should keep in mind that local ICE agents are targeting criminal defendants for detention. They often hang around the court parking lot, sitting in their cars, waiting for the right person to come to court. This means that, if you don’t have your papers and have been accused of a crime, ICE agents may be waiting for you in the parking lot of this building. Even if you have not been convicted of a crime… even if the charges are not serious, such as a drunk driving offense, or domestic violence.. even if you have a clean criminal record and have been in this country for many years… if you have been charged with ANY criminal offense and do not have legal status (or worse, you have had prior contact with immigration or a prior deportation order), STOP and call me for a free consultation. I will be glad to discuss your options with you.