Hi,
Unless you’re not located in the USA July 4th is a holiday and the courts are closed. If you are in the USA defaulting on a court appearance is a big no no!
You could have easily called the court and rescheduled making up some excuse.
Cops never appear in court for traffic violations. However, the cop writes down everything you say word for word when he pulls you over (they also video tape the whole incident via a dashboard or front-end camera)
A court officer reads the violation from a ledger. There is also no judge but a clerk/magistrate. Court are overwhelmed and want to move through the violations as quickly as possible. They give you about 60 seconds to state your case.
I agree the fees are outrageous but a driver’s license is a privledge not a right.