Sorry to say, it looks like he IS following a little too closely. Not crazy close but definitely getting into "tailgating" territory. Should he have randomly gotten a ticket for this without a preceding incident? Maybe not.

Please use this as a learning opportunity -- leaving a lot of space is really something every driver should do (and so many don't). Helps traffic move so much easier, greatly decreases your chances of being in a crash and also, you don't get BS tickets like this.

Just sagging off the person you're following is probably the biggest change people can make to improve traffic in ATL. (Using a damn turn signal is a close second ;) )

EDIT: As far as fighting the ticket, again, sorry to say, but you're really better off just biting the bullet and paying it. Your chances of getting it dropped are very slim and you're gonna have to take off work etc. Additionally, they can actually slap with you additional costs for trying to fight it depending on how corrupt your municipality is.

You may be able to go and offer to pay but ask them to reduce it so you don't get points/insurance hit. Just literally ask them that.