thanks, Tom....not totally retired, but closer all the time....anyway, what county are you in, and what court did they send you too....county, local city? City officer, state, county sheriff?....every jurisdiction is a little different....there are traffic courts, there are regular courts that hear traffic violations...point being is what can you prove in court...how recently had the speed limit been changed, and who changed it? If it has been awhile, well, that won't hold up...but if were say in the last few weeks, the judge may take that into your defense....as for the screw up on the ticket, well, you should have waited to see if they would have subpoened your butt if they had no record of your citation...but as it turned out, he did finally turn it in....in the long run...unless there are other factors not mentioned, I would plead not guilty to the 45, if you feel the limit has just been changed from 55....but, the judge will tell you speeding is speeding, even if it is 56 in a 55....good luck