The first time I encountered court fees came as a shock to me. I missed the deadline to plead guilty and had to show up for Traffic Court. Got up there, plead

The first time I encountered court fees came as a shock to me. I missed the deadline to plead guilty and had to show up for Traffic Court. Got up there, plead guilty to my $75 ticket (I think, I can't really remember, just a normal speeding ticket), and the judge said "Pay $325 at the cashier", and I gawked. I had no idea there was such a thing as court fees, especially one that high, especially considering I spent a grand total of 20 seconds in front of the judge. Thankfully I didn't say anything, and just quietly paid it. At the time I was living paycheck to paycheck, and that extra unexpected $250 charge was really hard to deal with.