"This unconstitutional practice is often framed as a routine administrative matter," [Assistant Attorney General] Gupta wrote. "For example, a motorist who is arrested for driving with a suspended license may be told that the penalty for the citation is $300 and that a court date will be scheduled only upon the completion of a $300 payment."
The letter echoes the conclusions of the Justice Department's investigation of the Police Department and court in Ferguson, Mo. Investigators there concluded that the court was a moneymaking venture, not an independent branch of government.
There are those of us who thought the states, including state courts, were also independent of the feds, and DOJ in particular, cf. Medellin v. Texas. Well, that was then. Erstwhile fans of federalism -- those who wonder why the feds bother with pot, for example, and what their legal basis is for doing so -- might have some problems figuring out what business the feds have menacing state court judges about traffic fines. I have a feeling, though, that the key word there is "erstwhile."
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