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Drivers challenge Iowa Transportation Department’s authority

News

November 16th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A group of drivers facing tickets issued by Iowa Transportation Department officers want a judge to order the agency to stop issuing those citations. The Des Moines Register reports the group filed a motion Tuesday asking for an injunction. The drivers are trying to capitalize on a ruling last month where a Polk County judge said the agency didn’t have authority to enforce most moving violations.

That ruling came in the case of 16-year-old Peyton Atzen who was fighting a speeding ticket. The same law firm that represented him filed Tuesday’s motion. Transportation Department spokeswoman Andrea Henry says the agency plans to fight the motion. Henry says other Iowa courts continue to uphold citations the agency’s officers issue.