A Michigan judge has been ordered by a circuit court to stop putting defendants in jail because they can’t afford to pay court fines. The district judge will now consider a defendant’s job status, assets, basic living expenses and any other special circumstances that might affect their ability to pay. RT reports: The court order was a victory for the Michigan chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which sued Eastpointe Judge Carl Gerds III over what it called an unconstitutional practice. We’re elated about the court’s order because it upholds a basic principle of fairness in our nation—that nobody should be jailed just because he or she is too poor to pay fines, fees and costs,” said ACLU of Michigan legal director Michael J. Steinberg in a statement. In its complaint filed last July, the ACLU argued Gerds often incarcerated people without determining whether they had the ability to pay the fines in question in the first place. One woman who failed to license her dogs – a minor ordinance violation – and pleaded guilty to contempt was scared she would go to jail simply because she couldn’t afford the $455 charge in fines and fees that was levied [...]