Quote Quoting cdwjava
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A judge can ask a person just about anything he chooses to. The 5th Amendment would not apply. Whether that would be done or not, i can't say, but the judge can and often will ask clarifying questions in traffic as well as criminal trials.


Maybe someday ... or, maybe, it's perfectly acceptable and lawful.
And I can ask for a million dollars. If the defendant is obviously not the person pictured, but is required to name the driver, the next logical step would be to charge the law enforcement officer with perjury for signing a sworn Probable Cause Statement on the Notice to Appear without such cause. I wouldn't think the court would try to enlist the defendant's help in a low-level criminal investigation in that case.

The Sacramento Court practice is not acceptable and might be illegal, depending on what the Appeals Court eventually determines. The best purpose of TBD with respect to Red Light Camera citations is probably disputing identity. When identity is obviously wrong, the defendant should not be required to miss time from work or undertake other expense (i.e. driving from another county, etc.) in order to make an effective defense. (I know there are probably cops out there don't care much about this line of thinking as they are PAID to be there in court.) Need I quote the Goulet case again here?