The Michigan Secretary of State is challenging a judge’s order to stop suspending driver’s licenses for failure to pay traffic fines.
But the state says it’s not possible to comply with the ruling.
Federal Judge Linda Parker ruled earlier this month the state is denying drivers who can’t pay traffic fines due process. It says the state should not be suspending licenses without first determining people’s ability to pay the fines. The Secretary of State has challenged the ruling in the Sixth Circuit US Court of Appeals.
Among other things, the state says it’s impossible to comply with the order – it would take months just to re-program computers connected to over 100 local courts. The state also says courts already take ability to pay into account, including allowing extended payment plans for drivers with low incomes.
And, the appeal says, the judge’s order doesn’t say how the state should determine whether a driver can’t traffic fines, or won’t pay.