Roadblock Ruling

The use of police roadblocks has been an issue in some Alabama communities, including Montgomery, over the years. Recently the focus from police in the Capitol has been to prove to the city council that they are not using the traffic roadblocks more in one area of the city than in others. But a Federal Court in Washington has questioned the actual use of roadblocks, not the way in which they're been implemented. According to The Washington Post and other publications, Chief Judge David Bryan wrote for a three judge panel of the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit:

"It cannot be gainsaid that citizens have a right to drive upon the public streets of the District of Columbia or any other city absent a constitutionally sound reason for limiting their access."

I don't believe a ruling in that particular district has any immediate effect on the 11th Circuit, which covers Alabama. But it adds another layer of complexity to the issue.