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He says he uses no hard-and-fast guidelines to deal with speeders. He says his decisions depend on the facts in each case, the officer's opinion, and whether the officer was available to testify.

According to a review of 136 cases he has handled involving 100 mph charges, Hunter generally looks favorably on drivers who complete an eight-hour defensive driving course before stepping into his courtroom. Still, he gives breaks to some drivers who don't take the class and turns down others who do.

Hunter said he generally requires driving school and requires some speeders to perform community service.

"And that's punishment enough," he said.

Tell it to this judge

Hunter concedes that driving 100 mph can be dangerous. And he said he understands the pain of those hurt by unsafe drivers: His grandmother was killed by a drunken driver.

"It's not like I'm taking this stuff lightly," the judge said.

Hunter is known for being generous with breaks for high-rate speeders. Rodney Crouse, 38, of Walnut Cove, was assigned to Hunter's court last year after he got a ticket for barreling along Interstate 40 on his motorcycle at 100 mph. Crouse, an electrician, said he was trying to get the tag number of a truck that had run him off the road.

Crouse said his attorney, James L. Swisher of Greensboro, told him Hunter was "a good judge to be in front of."

Swisher has handled traffic cases for decades. He said he likes to get in front of Hunter with his high-speed clients, although he said some other judges in Guilford will also grant PJCs in such cases. Records show that from January 2002 through June 2006, 40.5 percent of all 100 mph cases in Guilford ended in a PJC, far more than in any other district in the state.

Swisher said that before his clients go to court, he normally has them take an eight-hour defensive driving course and do an hour of community service for every mile over the limit they were charged with speeding.

"That's been sort of an accepted policy for a number of years," Swisher said. "Most of the judges are following that sort of guideline."

Crouse said Swisher took his driving school certification and told him to wait in the hall while he talked to the judge. Within 15 minutes, Crouse said, the lawyer emerged from the courtroom with news that Hunter had given him a break.

Crouse said he never had to explain his nine prior speeding tickets or his DWI conviction a decade before.

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