Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster will appeal a court ruling that struck down key parts of a law limiting the ability of cities to profit from traffic tickets and court fines.
Koster announced the appeal on Tuesday, one day after Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem ruled that the law unconstitutionally targeted St. Louis-area municipalities with revenue caps lower than other Missouri cities.
Koster says a municipality should not depend on prosecution of its residents to fund governmental functions.
Beetem found that some parts of the law, including a provision requiring police departments in St. Louis County to become accredited within six years, were unconstitutional mandates because the state did not provide funding for them.
The mandates were part of a law addressing concerns raised after the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson.
