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Constitutional Law Keyed to Choper
Bell v. Burson
Citation:
402 U.S. 535 (1971)Facts
Petitioner Bell was a clergyman whose ministry required him to travel by car to serve three rural Georgia communities. On November 24, 1968, Bell was involved in an accident when a five-year-old child rode her bicycle into the side of his automobile. The child’s parents filed an accident report claiming $5,000 in damages. Under Georgia’s Motor Vehicle Safety Responsibility Act, Bell was informed that he must either show proof of insurance, post a $5,000 security bond, or present a liability release to avoid suspension of his driver’s license. Bell requested an administrative hearing, claiming the accident was unavoidable and that license suspension would severely hamper his ministerial duties. However, the Director informed him that consideration of fault was excluded from the hearing. After the administrative hearing resulted in an order to comply with security requirements, Bell appealed to the Superior Court, which found him free from fault, but this decision was reversed by the Georgia Court of Appeals.
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