Nothing was stated at all how much he was actually exceeding the speed limit by.
Had you read the article carefully you should have seen the quote
'm not a big fan of extortion," Sanders explains in the video he posted to YouTube. "I was convicted by a jury for driving 39 in a 30 and was subject to $212 at the barrel of a gun."
By my math that would seem to indicate he was fined for driving 9 mph over the speed limit.
it was truly only 9 mph over the limit, and he attempted to get the ticket removed and/or the fine reduced via a court trial (with a waste of money jury present), and he was completely turned down, then I am glad he did it. No matter how it looks, he certainly proved a valid point: Texas is a police state, with a ridiculous fine structure, and lack of any reasonable alternatives. And, to top it all off, they waste valuable resources (money, people's time, etc.) to have a jury trial for traffic violations. Definitely a stupid use of resources, I'll say!
Normally there would not be a jury trial for a misdemeanor traffic offense, however under the 5th, 6th, & 7th amendments to the Constitution of the United States anyone accused of a crime has an absolute right to trial by jury no matter what the offense and I have to assume that was the case here. From your remarks it sounds as if you are implying Washington State does not adhere to the Constitution of the United States of America and I find that very difficult to believe. Personally I believe that our Constitutional rights are important enough to override any cost considerations.
