[¶ 1] Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the State, the following facts were established at trial by a preponderance of the evidence. See 29-A M.R.S. § 103(4) (2016); State v. Jeskey,
[¶ 2] Chase challenged the ticket. Between December of 2015 and April of 2016, Chase filed a litany of letters and motions with the District Court (Bangor) in which he argued that his truck is not a motor vehicle, he has an unqualified right to travel on public roads, and the case had caused him emotional distress. He requested a jury trial, asserted his personal sovereignty, and requested findings of fact and conclusions of law about the source of the court’s authority and jurisdiction. He also requested a “plain street level English” translation of the Maine “rules of court,” including Rules of Evidence and Appellate Procedure, and “an interpreter (maybe a lawyer) appointed to [his] exclusive use for several weeks” who could also provide guidance during the hearing itself; re
[¶ 3] The court {Lucy, J.) denied Chase’s requests for a jury trial, for a “translation” of the “rules of court,” and for an “interpreter” or attorney to assist him in preparing for and during his hearing.
[¶ 4] Using this accommodation, the court conducted a nonjury trial on April 28, 2016. At the trial, Chase conceded that he had committed the offense of operating a vehicle with an expired registration; he testified, “I do not dispute that on November 26, 2015, my Dodge Ram was without registration, no, sir.” The court adjudicated Chase to have committed the traffic infraction of failing to register his vehicle for a period of between 30 and 150 days after his previous registration had expired and imposed a fine of fifty dollars. The court denied Chase’s remaining motions. Chase appeals.
[IF 5] Chase challenges the court’s denial of his request for a jury trial in this traffic matter as a violation of Me. Const, art I, § 20, which provides that, “[i]n all civil suits, ... the parties shall have a right to a trial by jury, except in cases where it has heretofore been otherwise practiced.” We have held that neither the Maine Constitution, nor any other authority, requires that a jury trial be available in a traffic matter. State v. Nugent,
[¶6] We also discern no error in the court’s handling of Chase’s various requests for accommodation for his claimed disabilities. The court provided Chase with CART services throughout his hearing. Contrary to Chase’s demand, we do not require that any rules of court be provided in some alternate form of the English language, see Guidelines for Determination of Eligibility for Court-Appointed Interpretation and Translation Services, Me. Admin. Order JB-06-3 (as amended by A, 7-13) (effective July 16, 2013) (providing interpretation and translation services in languages other than English for those with “limited English proficiency”), nor is Chase entitled to free attorney services in
The entry is:
Judgment affirmed.
Notes
. We denied Chase’s similar requests for a "translation" of the Maine Rules of Appellate Procedure in this appeal.
. CART was used here to accommodate Chase’s assertion that he would not be able to remember what was being said as the trial progressed.
. Chase’s remaining contentions — that we lack authority to promulgate rules of court, that the court erred by denying his requests for findings and conclusions, that as a matter of law the statute does not mandate that he register his pickup truck, and that he was unable to legally register his vehicle — are without merit. See 4 M.R.S. § 8 (2016); 29-A M.R.S. §§ 101(55), (88), 351(1)(A), 501(1), 504(1)(B) (2016); M.R. Civ. P. 52(b); Eremita v. Marchiori,
