Michigan Motorist Wins Appeal In Fight Against Chalk-Mark Parking Tickets

This is a fascinating story with potentially far-reaching consequences.

A federal appeals panel unanimously ruled that a Michigan motorist’s Fourth Amendment rights were violated.

Remember the 4th Amendment? The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

In other words, the ability of the government to invade your space is limited. Motorist Alison Taylor and her attorney sued Saginaw, Michigan over 14 parking tickets she had racked up, and won a major court decision that says the city used a parking enforcement officer's modest piece of tire chalk to deface the Fourth Amendment.

Taylor argued that using the chalk to mark her tires constituted an unreasonable search without a warrant. Saginaw said the act of chalking Taylor's car was an exception to the Fourth Amendment.

But a three-judge panel of a federal appeals court just ruled unanimously that Taylor's novel argument was right, and Saginaw is wrong. 

Chalk one up for the little guy!

Selected excerpt(s) and linked article courtesy of Greg Rasa, AutoBlog.com
Royalty-free photo courtesy of Unsplash

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