What happens when you get a bench warrant?
used from: What to Do When Facing a Bench WarrantA bench warrant is an arrest warrant that is ordered by a judge against the defendant in a criminal case or a similar proceeding such as for a traffic ticket. A bench warrant is typically issued in the case of a failure to appear for trial, sometimes abbreviated “FTA.” The “bench” is the traditional term for the judge's seat.In serious criminal cases, a failure to appear will most likely lead to a “regular” arrest warrant, which would spur immediate attempts to find and jail the defendant. A bench warrant, on the other hand, usually does not mean the police will be at your door the next morning. But, your name will go into a statewide computer system that serves the entire law enforcement community. Once your name is in the database, if you have to deal with the police for any reason – even resulting from an incident that was not your fault, such as someone hitting your car from behind – you will be taken into custody for the outstanding bench warrant.Once you are taken into custody, you will have to post bail before you can be released. Typically, bail on a bench warrant for failure to appear will be enough to cover the fines and court costs for both the original offense and the FTA. Then, you'll get a new court date.If you know that there is a bench warrant out for your arrest, you can usually call either the clerk of the court or the local police department and arrange to come in and pay the bail so that the warrant will be recalled. You should find out, when you call, what kinds of payments they will accept, since a paper check is almost always not good enough, and not all localities are able to take credit cards.If you had posted bail before the missed court date, that money has almost certainly been forfeited at this point. If you had a very good reason why you weren't at the court on time and didn't call, you might be able to persuade the judge into letting you get that bail back, or at least having it credited against your fines and costs. Naturally, having an experienced criminal lawyer arguing on your behalf during this process will show the judge not only that you take the charges against you seriously, but also that you are genuinely contrite about your failure to appear.
Can I legally change my birthday?
In the US, you can change it only if it is shown to be wrong. Two examples:The hospital recorded the moment of your birth accurately, but when Vital Records prepared your birth certificate, the registrar typed June 21 instead of July 21. You can get a copy of the Report of Live Birth from the hospital to show the court when you petition to have the date corrected. The judge will issue an order allowing you to obtain a corrected birth certificate and to get corrected documents, such as your Social Security card, driver's license, and passport.You adopted an abandoned child from overseas. His orphanage estimated that he was five years old and the province where the orphanage was located issued a birth certificate with the orphanage-assigned birthday. When you readopted him in the US, you got a state birth certificate with that date. As the child caught up nutritionally and developmentally, however, it became clear that he was older than five. His pediatrician, a pediatric endocrinologist and a developmental psychologist agreed that he was probably eight years old, and were prepared to give a statement to the court to that effect. The judge will issue an order allowing you to get a new birth certificate for him, with the corrected age, and to change the birthdate on jother documents.Unfortunately, you cannot change your birthday, just so you can get your driver's license earlier, or leave home before age 18.