Tire-chalking found unconstitutional by federal judge

BAY CITY, Mich. (WNEM) - A federal judge found it unconstitutional for the city of Saginaw to mark vehicle tires with chalk without a warrant or suspicion of wrongdoing.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Thomas Ludington declared it unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Ludington also ordered the city of Saginaw to pay $1 in nominal damages to each member of the class action lawsuit’s subclass for each time their vehicle was marked with chalk.

The city of Saginaw used tire chalking as a way to enforce parking limits. The lawsuit began in 2017 when Alison Taylor sued to challenge 14 parking tickets.