District Court Judge Kip Stilz begins each day at the computer. But it's not just for scheduling and research.

Judge Stilz conducts his first hearings of the day right there at the keyboard.

"If I were down in Oregon, or if I were up in Seattle or Eastern Washington and received a ticket, and wanted a chance to explain the circumstances, I shouldn't have to travel hundreds of miles just to do that."

So, he's instituted the Internet hearing process.

"If they get that ticket for $122, they shouldn't have to spend more than that in lost wages and standing in line," he said.

Your Honor, what kind of tickets will you hear via computer?

"All traffic infractions, with a few exceptions," he said.

Judge Stilz just received a hearing request from a man in Seattle. He wrote that he had been driving north on I-5 just south of Olympia, and didn't notice the speed limit had changed from 70 to 60 miles per hour. The judge decided to reduce the ticket down to a hundred bucks.

"If a person takes the time to explain it to someone else, they ought to get a break," he said.

To have an Internet hearing with Judge Stilz, the offense has to be committed within his Thurston County jurisdiction.

I bet that can get a little time consuming.

"It is, but I have to tell you there is one bonus. I've been doing this for a little over a year by regular mail. You can imagine the handwriting of some people who send their requests in by mail," he said. "At least I'm able to read what a person is telling me when they do it over the Internet."