The Right to Pay a Fine

Tennessee authorities are investigating Coopertown Mayor Danny Crosby for refusing to accept a check in payment for a speeding ticket. Nashville resident T. Allen Morgan wrote the check after being cited for doing 50 mph in a 35 mph zone. Morgan says he didn't see any signs warning that the speed limit had dropped from 55 mph, and he wrote "for speed trap" on the check. After Crosby saw the ticket, he told the clerk to tell Morgan to write another check without the words "speed trap" on it or appear in court on traffic charges. Coopertown gets a third of its budget from traffic fines. AAA is considering designating the city a "traffic trap."