DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- The Iowa Supreme Court says religious rights of a Mennonite teenager prevail over a county's concern about protecting its roads.
The court on Friday reversed a Mitchell County citation against Matthew Zimmerman, who was cited for driving a steel-wheel tractor on a county road in 2010. He was found guilty of violating an ordinance banning steel wheels on hard-surfaced roads.
A district court judge upheld the citation, but the Supreme Court ordered the case dismissed. The court says the ordinance as applied to church members violates the First Amendment rights to free exercise of religion.
The county has argued the ordinance is neutral and doesn't interfere with anyone's religion. The ordinance was aimed at alleviating damage caused by the wheels
