Sooner or later, most drivers will receive an invitation to traffic court. They must answer guilty or not guilty to an infraction of one or more traffic laws. But it is the judge who sets the fine. Depending on the presiding judge of that particular day, the fine may vary, even if it is for the same infraction. One judge may make a guilty driver pay as much as $425 for running a light, whereas another judge may impose a fine as low as $125. Rolling through a stop sign could be as high as $280, or as low as $100.