One More for Liberty: Florida Judge Rules Red Light Cameras Unconstitutional.

You can hear the money counters squealing in Port Richie, Florida, where Pasco County Judge Anne Wansboro ruled their red light camera scheme unconstitutional.  Grasping local officials were caught by surprise (doesn’t feel so good, does it, fellas) when defendant car owner Thomas Filippone challenged a ticket he received on the grounds that it “unconstitutionally places the burden of proof on defendants,” according to the Tampa Bay Times.

According to the Tampa Bay Times story:

“If they are going to prove I was driving the car, it’s their duty under the law to prove the identity of the driver,” said Filippone, 45, who maintains his 2002 Nissan Altima crossed the intersection a split second before the light turned red on April 15. “It unjustly shifts burden to me and makes me shoulder the burden of having to prove their case.”

Pasco County Judge Anne Wansboro agreed. On Feb. 17, she dismissed the charge, saying in her order that the law “impermissibly shifts the burden of proof to the Defendant and therefore does not afford due process, and is unconstitutional to the extent due process is not provided.”

Read the story here.