Federal Judge Rules Inspector General Overstepped Powers in Office
The Department of Transportation’s inspector general went too far when it searched a trucking company’s offices and seized its records last year, said a federal judge in Phoenix.
Paul Rosenblatt, a U.S. District Judge for the District of Arizona, ruled that agents of the inspector general exceeded their statutory authority when they conducted a search at Phoenix-based Northland Trucking for alleged violations of federal motor carrier safety regulations.
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The Sept. 22 decision comes as a judge in Washington, D.C., prepares to issue his opinion in a closely related case, which — if he rules against DOT — could put a stop to the inspector general’s compliance investigations of motor carriers.
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The ruling quashes the search warrant and orders the return of the seized property, mainly business records.
