Court updates decision in dispute over tires, parking tickets

SAGINAW, Mich. — A federal court has clarified a decision in a dispute over marking tires, a method that many cities use to keep track of cars and write parking tickets.

The appeals court says marking tires qualifies as a search of property under the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment. But the court says it doesn’t mean that Saginaw, Michigan, is conducting an illegal search — at least not yet.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is sending the case back to a judge in Michigan, one of four states covered by the court. The April 22 opinion was amended on April 25.

The appeals court say litigation between Alison Taylor, who got more than a dozen tickets, and Saginaw still is in early stages. Based on the record so far, the court says two key exceptions to getting a search warrant don’t apply.