DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The state of Iowa says it would damage public safety if the state were forced to refund traffic fines and remove wrongful convictions from motorists’ records. The state made those assertions in documents made public Wednesday as it asked the Polk County District Court to reject an effort to certify as a class action a lawsuit against the state. The lawsuit cites a judge’s October ruling that the Iowa Transportation Department didn’t have authority to issue a speeding ticket to a 16-year-old driver.

The state is arguing in part that district court decisions aren’t binding to other district courts. The lawsuit seeks an order barring the department’s officers from issuing tickets. A 1990 Iowa attorney general opinion said the officers’ authority is limited to drunken driving and commercial vehicle regulations.