On January 17, 2022, Jonathan Tishman, a young data analyst, received a sixty-dollar traffic ticket for misuse of lights. The American was driving his Nissan Maxima on the Capital Beltway interstate highway, when suddenly another vehicle crossed his path, obstructing his lane.
At that point, Tishman braked and switched on his high beams to get the attention of the other driver, who had no doubt put him in danger with his recklessness. Seconds after alerting the individual, the young man realized that he was behind a state police car.
For some reason, the officers decided to stop Tishman instead of pursuing the driver who cut into their lane. Authorities fined the youth because he “does not use multi-beam road lighting equipment to the level required for safe driving.” Tishman could have paid the sixty dollars right away, but he decided not to succumb to injustice.
After a quick internet search, he soon came across Mark Zaid, a well-known Washington-based American lawyer whose work focuses on national security law, constitutional free speech claims, and government accountability.
After hearing about the case, Zaid decided to serve pro bono and visit the Maryland traffic court. This Monday Tishman – who decided not to appear on the scheduled day and waited to find the best lawyer to appeal to – sat next to his representative in front of the traffic court in the Montgomery County District Court.
“It’s about what’s right, what’s fair,” the lawyer told The Washington Post. Zaid is popularly known in the United States for being part of the legal team of the whistleblower who leaked information about Donald Trump’s attempt to coerce Ukraine and other countries into providing him with information on then-presidential candidate Joe Biden.
Maryland does not have a law that prohibits flashing high beams to alert other drivers. However, a spokesman for the state police stated that the ticket was appropriate, as high beams could “cause an unwanted reaction from another driver, and may actually make the situation more dangerous.”
The lawyer argued that the fine did not stand up to the precedent of a similar case that occurred in Montana; a driver was pulled over for the exact same thing as Tishman. The Montana Supreme Court ruled that if turning on lights in uncertain situations is dangerous, lawmakers should have made it so in law, so the case was dismissed. Once again Zaid demonstrated his professionalism, he provided $7,500 pro bono services and Tishman was found innocent.
