Appeals court freezes order on driver's license suspensions

DETROIT (AP) — A court order that stopped suspensions of some Michigan driver's licenses has been frozen, at least temporarily.

A federal judge halted suspensions if people can't afford to pay traffic fines. But a federal appeals court ordered a 30-day timeout Thursday.

The court told Judge Linda Parker to give guidance to the secretary of state about how Michigan is supposed to comply. The court says her injunction is "broad in scope and provides very little direction."

Parker says there's a strong likelihood that the due process rights of poor people are being violated when their licenses are suspended for failure to pay fines.
She halted some suspensions on Dec. 14.