If a credit card is not honored, the municipal court may issue which of the following?

• A. Capias pro fine
• B. A stay of proceedings
• C. A new trial
• D. A reduction of the fine

Answer: (A)

When a fine isn’t paid, the court can use a capias pro fine to enforce payment. This is an arrest warrant issued to compel the defendant to appear and address the unpaid fine, effectively bringing them back before the court to resolve the nonpayment. It specifically targets how to enforce fines, rather than pausing the case, retrying proceedings, or changing the amount owed. A stay of proceedings would suspend action but not force payment; a new trial would revisit the trial itself, not the payment issue; and a reduction of the fine would simply change the amount owed, not compel arrest. So capias pro fine is the tool the court uses in this scenario.