Ferguson, H., Aplt. v. Dept. of Transportation

Summary

The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania affirmed the Commonwealth Court’s decision that Pennsylvania’s license‑suspension scheme for drivers with a prior Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) does not violate due process. The Court held that the statute is facially constitutional under rational‑basis review and that a license suspension is a civil, not criminal, penalty. The opinion also rejected the argument that procedural safeguards for criminal prosecutions apply to the suspension.