Perry believed that law was intended to punish drivers who had intentionally defaced their license plate and that the majority’s interpretation of the law was far too broad. Not every justice believed that the state law addressed incidents when license plates were unintentionally obstructed. “We conclude that the plain language of (the section of state law) is clear and unambiguous, and requires that a license plate be plainly visible and legible at all times without regard to whether the obscuring matter is on or external to the plate,” wrote the majority in the case opinion. During that traffic stop, the officers also found English in possession of marijuana, cocaine, and paraphernalia.Įnglish’s counsel tried the argue that evidence against his clients should be suppressed because the officers had no probable cause to pull English over in the first place. Orlando police had pulled English over due to a tag light and its wiring hanging over his license plate. The 5-2 split decision concerned the case of Jermaine D. The decision settles several contradicting court precedents on an important matter of probable cause and citizen rights. The Florida Supreme Court has ruled that an obstructed license plate on the road does justify traffic stops by law enforcement.

Herman gets his drivers liceanse