Louisville Judges Ordered to Allow Traffic Program

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – A circuit judge has ruled that two district judges committed a “great injustice” when they refused to let motorists participate in a traffic school run by the Jefferson County Attorney’s office.

Circuit Judge McKay Chauvin wrote in a Dec. 28 opinion that Judges Sean Delahanty and Stephanie Pearce Burke acted illegally by barring citizens from enrolling in Drive Safe Louisville, a two-hour online course, to get their driving citations dismissed. The course also requires a $179 fee.

News outlets report Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell is one of 89 county attorneys who launched their own traffic programs to raise revenue for their offices under a 2012 state law.

Delahanty and Burke said the program allows cases to be dismissed without judicial overview and invades the power of the courts.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.