Lights, Camera . . . Ticket: Red Light Cameras After Idris v. City of Chicago

Red light camera technology is in use in many jurisdictions throughout the United States. For some, this technology represents a powerful tool for improving road safety. For others, its use represents overreaching by governments searching for ways to generate additional revenue. In Idris v. City of Chicago, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals examined the constitutionality of Chicago’s red light camera ordinance and held, in part, that the ordinance did not violate the substantive due process or equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. Going forward, the Idris decision will likely limit the effectiveness of Fourteenth Amendment challenges pursued by red light camera opponents.