No Contest Plea Definition

At your traffic court trial, the judge will announce your charge and ask for your plea. You basically have three options: guilty, not guilty, or no contest. The guilty and not guilty pleas are self-explanatory, but clients sometimes ask me what “no contest” means.

A “no contest” plea (which comes from the Latin phrase “nolo contendere”) is a middle ground between guilty and not guilty. It means that you aren’t admitting that you committed the crime or infraction, but you also aren’t going to contest the Commonwealth’s evidence against you. If you enter a no contest plea, you are forfeiting your right to mount a defense.

You might want to consider a no contest plea in a case where you know the Commonwealth of Virginia has strong evidence against you and you don’t have a defense. If you don’t have a defense, it can make sense to not contest the charge and ask for leniency in sentencing.

However, you shouldn’t enter a plea without first talking with a traffic lawyer. You might have a defense that you aren’t aware of.

Andrew Flusche

My name is Andrew Flusche, and I am a traffic and misdemeanor defense lawyer serving Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Stafford, King George, Caroline, and the surrounding communities of Northern Virginia.As the founding partner of Flusche & Fitzgerald, Attorneys at Law, I have focused exclusively on traffic tickets and misdemeanor defense since 2008. I literally wrote the book on reckless driving in Virginia, available free here or on Amazon, and I hold my Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law. With over 600 five-star reviews on Google, Yelp, and Facebook, and membership in the Fredericksburg Area Bar Association and the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, I bring local knowledge and proven results to every case.If you've been charged with a traffic or misdemeanor offense in Virginia, contact me today. Your initial consultation is always free and you'll speak directly with me.