For me personally, I was scared when going to court. I think it was mostly because the judge made the ultimate decision. Your attorney and DA might have worked out a great plea for you, but if the judge reviews it and feels it is not to his liking, he can change it in his ruling. When I was standing in front of the judge after my 3rd, my knees were shaking. Mainly because I knew my attorney worked out a plea that was a misdemeanor instead of a felony and the judge could easily switch it to a felony. All of the court appearances leading up to standing in front of the judge were simple. I would just sit in the booths with a bunch of other people and eventually, my attorney would walk out and grab me and send me home.
Ultimately, it is what it is. Dragging it out longer, which most attorneys will do, just adds more time to overthink it. Once you see the judge, then you can get to work to get it all behind you. My last attorney said something to me that was so profound, he said, “This is just a temporary moment in life and you will be through it before you know it.” This is so true
